NCAA keeps Brock Hoffman off field over brain tumor doubts

The NCAA was provided documents upon documents supporting Brock Hoffman’s waiver case.

There were letters from doctors outlining the dire medical situation his mother Stephanie – diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumor in 2017 — was dealing with. There were financial and medical statements that illustrated why it was important Hoffman, an offensive lineman, needed to be closer to home.

It didn’t matter. Hoffman’s waiver to be immediately eligible after transferring from Coastal Carolina to Virginia Tech was denied in April, and so was his appeal in recent days. He won’t be eligible until 2020.

According to the Roanoke Times, Hoffman was rebuffed because of the timing of the transfer. Hoffman tweeted that he was initially denied because Blacksburg — where Virginia Tech is located — is outside of the minimum 100-mile radius from his home in Statesville, N.C. and that the NCAA believes his mother’s condition had improved since he began school at Coastal Carolina.

“The NCAA’s process is horrible,” his father, Brian, told the Virginia paper. “It’s just wrong.”

Hoffman opted to get closer to his mother after his sophomore year to help care for her. It would slice his commute home in half. Stephanie Hoffman suffers from facial paralysis, hearing loss and impaired eyesight. She’s had multiple surgeries and has kept working to pay off the bills. But the NCAA wanted to know why she hadn’t retired if her health was such a problem, even after receiving documentation explaining the problems.

The NCAA didn’t speak to Hoffman or the family during the appeal. Brian Hoffman tweeted on Wednesday the family was still waiting for a letter explaining why the appeal was denied.

According to The Athletic, citing a source familiar with the investigation, one major factor in Hoffman getting turned down was he didn’t seek a transfer until two years after his mother was diagnosed with the brain tumor.

“We have almost a million dollars of medical bills,” Brian Hoffman said. “She’s a teacher and doesn’t have enough years to get full pay from her pension. We simply couldn’t afford it.

“I really thought after all the information we gave them — we gave them a book over the summer — we had this thing. It was like getting stabbed in the back.”

Hoffman has two years of eligibility remaining. Most importantly, he’s closer to home, and able to see his mother more frequently.