Kansas sophomore center Silvio De Sousa, who has been absent from the entire 2018-19 season following allegations in federal court that his guardian accepted money from an Adidas consultant, has retained an attorney to represent him in his attempt to have his NCAA eligibility restored. NCAA infractions attorney Scott Tompsett said in a Thursday statement he has taken on De Sousa’s case, saying “It’s time for the NCAA to be fair to Silvio and immediately reinstate his eligibility.” MORE: Kansas to hold out De Sousa De Sousa has been withheld from competition since the start of the season as KU looked into the statements aired during the trial of two former Adidas executives and a former agency employee that his eligibility might have been compromised. Earlier this week, Seth Davis of The Athletic reported Kansas would declare De Sousa ineligible and petition the NCAA for his reinstatement. In a statement issued by the athletic department Thursday night, Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said the university is working with the NCAA to address De Sousa's eligibility to compete. "The process is ongoing and we will continue to work closely with the NCAA staff," Long said. "Our commitment to integrity and to the process is unwavering. While the past several months have been difficult for this young man, Silvio continues to work hard in the classroom and in practice and he has been an exemplary teammate. His patience and cooperation throughout this process have been admirable and we look forward to a resolution." De Sousa has missed all 17 of the Jayhawks’ games to date. They are 15-2 but have been playing without a true center since sophomore Udoka Azubuike was lost for the year with a hand injury in early January. Tompsett has represented numerous athletes and coaches in cases involving the NCAA, including former Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, former Huskies guard Ryan Boatright and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. “Silvio came to the United States from Angola at the age of 15, and he did everything he was supposed to do and was asked to do to become an eligible student-athlete at the University of Kansas. Silvio followed the rules. He did nothing wrong,” Tompsett said in the statement. “If adults did something illicit or against the rules, they did it without Silvio’s knowledge or involvement. Their actions and conduct can be dealt with through the courts and/or the NCAA major infractions process.” MORE: KU's Dedric Lawson among SN midseason All-Americans T.J. Gassnola, the former director of the New England Playaz, a high-level AAU basketball team — and the government’s star witness in a case that led to the convictions of Jim Gatto, Merl Code and Christian Dawkins — testified in October he paid $2,500 to Fenny Falmagne, DeSousa’s guardian, after he emigrated to the U.S. from Angola, ostensibly so De Sousa could take online classes. Gassnola said he had promised Falmagne $20,000 but never paid it because the Justice Department case against several college assistants and others in the basketball business became public. Gassnola said in his testimony that Kansas coaches had no knowledge of these activities. A 6-9, 245-pound center, De Sousa played 20 games last season for the Jayhawks after enrolling at the start of the second semester. He averaged 4.0 points and 3.7 rebounds, but he excelled in March after he began to gain some comfort with the Jayhawks’ system. He produced a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double to help KU win the Big 12 Tournament final against West Virginia, and he had 4 points and 10 rebounds in the overtime victory against Duke that sent the Jayhawks to the Final Four. This article has been updated with a statement by Kansas.<doc-sep>Andrew Joseph For The Win Welcome to FTW Explains: A guide to catching up on and better understanding news going on in the world. You might have seen the news about suspended Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa battling for his NCAA eligibility. We're here to help. Who is Silvio De Sousa? De Sousa is a 6-foot-9 forward from Angola who first played for the Jayhawks last season. A highly touted four-star recruit, he graduated from high school early and joined Kansas for the second half of the season to boost a thin frontcourt. He broke out in Kansas' Big 12 tournament championship win, scoring a career-high 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting against West Virginia. He saw major minutes in the Elite Eight and Final Four and was expected to be key contributor for the Jayhawks this season. Why hasn't he played? De Sousa's name was at the center of last year's federal trials stemming from the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball. Former AAU coach and Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola testified that he helped arrange payments to De Sousa's guardian in exchange for De Sousa's commitment to Kansas -- Adidas' flagship NCAA partner. There was no indication that De Sousa himself had any knowledge of payments. Still, Kansas elected to sit the star forward before the season and allow the NCAA to review his eligibility. De Sousa still hasn't played, nor has the NCAA ruled on the case. What has changed? A season-ending injury to starting center Udoka Azubuike has since added urgency to De Sousa's case. Coach Bill Self pulled the redshirt on freshman guard Ochai Agbaji and has grown increasingly frustrated on the hold-ups in De Sousa's case. The Athletic reported that in an attempt to expedite a ruling on De Sousa, Kansas has declared the sophomore ineligible, formally acknowledged the infraction ($2,500 in impermissible payments) and, as a result, asked for immediate reinstatement. De Sousa has already missed 17 games this season, exceeding the 13-game suspension that violation would have warranted. According to the NCAA's matrix regarding infractions, an improper payment of $2,500 most likely would yield a penalty that the player is suspended for 30 percent of the team's season. MORE:North Carolina coach Roy Williams weighs in on LeBron-Michael Jordan debate MORE:The forgotten Indiana State basketball phenom overshadowed by Larry Bird Has the NCAA responded? No. What is De Sousa doing about it? On Thursday, attorney Scott Tompsett released a statement on De Sousa's behalf, calling for the NCAA to immediately reinstate him. Tompsett claimed that the NCAA is punishing De Sousa for actions allegedly taken by adults without De Sousa's knowledge. "It's time for the NCAA to be fair to Silvio and immediately reinstate his eligibility," he wrote. Will De Sousa play for Kansas again? That's difficult to say. The NCAA is notoriously inconsistent in dealing with these cases, and the FBI investigation has left the organization embarrassed. But Kansas is doing all it can to get De Sousa back on the court, going all-in by self-declaring De Sousa ineligible. Kansas had a similar situation last season with Billy Preston, and he ultimately left the team instead of waiting on the NCAA.<doc-sep>LAWRENCE — Silvio De Sousa appears to have grown tired of waiting. That much is at least true of his attorney. The Kansas basketball sophomore, indefinitely withheld as the NCAA and KU investigate alleged payments a guardian received during the forward's recruiting process, "has cooperated fully and completely" with the NCAA's investigation, De Sousa's attorney Scott Tompsett said in a Thursday news release. "It's time for the NCAA to be fair to Silvio and immediately reinstate his eligibility," Tompsett added. Tompsett is an NCAA infractions and compliance specialist with Kansas City, Mo.-based Tompsett Collegiate Sports Law. "Silvio came to the United States from Angola at the age of 15, and he did everything he was asked to do to become an eligible student-athlete at the University of Kansas," Tompsett said. "Silvio followed the rules. He did nothing wrong." De Sousa, a former five-star recruit who joined KU at midseason last year and helped the team in its run to a Final Four, hasn't played this season amid the eligibility concerns. He appeared in 20 games as a freshman, averaging four points and 3.7 rebounds across 8.8 minutes per contest. De Sousa's guardian, Fenny Falmagne, was alleged to have received illicit, under-the-table payments to steer De Sousa's recruitment in testimony and documents at the trial last October of three former Adidas officials in the federal government's probe into college basketball corruption. Former Adidas fixer T.J. Gassnola acknowledged overnighting a $2,500 payment to Falmagne to pay for classes for De Sousa, and Falmagne is also alleged to have received $60,000 from a Maryland booster to secure the forward's commitment to the Under Armour program, which ultimately didn't happen. Falmagne has denied the allegations, which also include a $20,000 payment from Gassnola to help repay the debt to the Maryland booster. Gassnola testified that payment never occurred. "If adults did something illicit or against the rules, they did it without Silvio's knowledge or involvement," Tompsett said. "Their actions and conduct can be dealt with through the courts and/or the NCAA major infractions process." Prior to the release of Tompsett's statement, KU coach Bill Self said Thursday that he had no update to provide on De Sousa's situation. On Monday, Seth Davis of The Athletic reported KU is prepared to acknowledge a violation occurred in the recruiting process of De Sousa so he can officially be ruled ineligible, a move necessary for De Sousa to then be ruled immediately eligible given time already served. By asking for De Sousa's reinstatement, it appears Tompsett is acknowledging his client has indeed been ruled ineligible. Tompsett declined to comment further when contacted Thursday. "He's been very patient and been a stud," Self said of De Sousa following Monday's 80-78 home victory over Texas. "Us as a team, we need to know too. I'm certainly hopeful we'll get something sooner rather than later, but I don't have a time frame." Self said De Sousa has shown patience throughout the process, though it’s clear it has worn on the 6-foot-9, 245-pounder out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. “I think he knows that there is definitely an effort to try to assist the process,” said Self, whose seventh-ranked Jayhawks (14-2, 4-1 Big 12) take on West Virginia at 1 p.m. Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va. “The one thing that he has been very mature about is he’s seeing big picture because I think the school has done a good job educating him on the dynamics and why things maybe aren’t quite moving as quick as we want them to. “So yeah, he’s handled it like a stud. And you know he’s crushed. We’re hopeful. Certainly not putting all our eggs in that basket, but certainly we’re very hopeful.” KU athletic director Jeff Long on Thursday night issued a statement essentially echoing Self's praise of De Sousa while restating the university's commitment to the investigation. “The University of Kansas continues to work with the NCAA staff to resolve issues concerning Silvio’s eligibility," Long said. "The process is ongoing and we will continue to work closely with the NCAA staff. Our commitment to integrity and to the process is unwavering. "While the past several months have been difficult for this young man, Silvio continues to work hard in the classroom and in practice and he has been an exemplary teammate. His patience and cooperation throughout this process have been admirable and we look forward to a resolution.” Discussing his uncertain eligibility with reporters last October, De Sousa spoke with confidence. "I know," he said, "I'm going to play this year."<doc-sep>Kansas is prepared to acknowledge to the NCAA that a violation took place in the recruitment process of sophomore big man Silvio De Sousa so that he can officially be ruled ineligible, with hopes that the NCAA will immediately grant a request to be reinstated, according to Seth Davis of The Athletic. De Sousa has not played in a game this season for the seventh-ranked Jayhawks after appearing in 20 as a true freshman last season, which included a Final Four run ended at the hands of eventual national champion Villanova. Kansas announced before the season that it was withholding De Sousa from competition pending an eligibility review after information came to light suggesting De Sousa's guardian was paid $2,500 for De Sousa to take online classes. Testimony from former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola in the college basketball federal trial also suggested De Sousa's guardian was paid $60,000 by a booster to attend Maryland. Given the inflammatory nature of such allegations, KU simply kept De Sousa on the sidelines -- and plans to do so -- until the NCAA gives the all-clear. KU is expected to submit its request as early as this week, and it's unclear when, if ever, the NCAA may grant KU's wishes. Further, there is no set-in-stone timeline for which a request may be granted. Getting De Sousa back this season would be a huge boost for Kansas nonetheless, regardless of it's a week or month from now. The Jayhawks are razor thin in the frontcourt after losing big man Udoka Azubuike, so much so that Ochai Agbaji was pulled out of redshirt so KU could more appropriately run small-ball lineups with Dedric Lawson at center. If De Sousa can play at all, it may allow Lawson to slot at his more natural position at power forward and give KU more suitable lineups to fit its best strengths. For now, though, De Sousa remains ineligible for the foreseeable future.<doc-sep>
Silvio De Sousa's attorney issued a statement Thursday afternoon calling on the NCAA to immediately reinstate the Kansas sophomore. De Sousa, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Angola, has not played this season while the NCAA reviews his eligibility. "Silvio has cooperated fully and completely with the investigation of his NCAA eligibility, which has now caused him to miss over half of his sophomore season," Scott Tompsett of Tompsett Collegiate Sports Law said in a statement. "Silvio came to the United States from Angola at the age of 15, and he did everything he was supposed to do and was asked to do to become an eligible student-athlete at the University of Kansas. Silvio followed the rules. He did nothing wrong. "If adults did something illicit or against the rules, they did it without Silvio's knowledge or involvement. Their actions and conduct can be dealt with through the courts and/or the NCAA major infractions process. It's time for the NCAA to be fair to Silvio and immediately reinstate his eligibility." Kansas' Silvio De Sousa has not played this season amid questions about his eligibility. Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire De Sousa has been held out of competition since October, when former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola testified in federal court that he paid $2,500 to De Sousa's guardian, Fenny Falmagne. "The University of Kansas continues to work with the NCAA staff to resolve issues concerning Silvio's eligibility," Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said in a prepared statement. "The process is ongoing, and we will continue to work closely with the NCAA staff. Our commitment to integrity and to the process is unwavering. "While the past several months have been difficult for this young man, Silvio continues to work hard in the classroom and in practice and he has been an exemplary teammate. His patience and cooperation throughout this process have been admirable and we look forward to a resolution." De Sousa graduated early from IMG Academy in December 2017 and enrolled at Kansas for the spring semester last season. He made his debut Jan. 13, 2018, and appeared in 20 games for the Jayhawks.