Famed waiver attorney for college athletes Tom Mars hired as NCAA investigator, a report says

You know what they say: if you keep beating 'em, join 'em.

According to a report from Yahoo Sports, attorney Tom Mars is joining the NCAA's Complex Case Unit.

Tom Mars is a name that has become familiar to people who follow college sports closely. He first appeared on the scene in 2017 when he sued Ole Miss on behalf of former coach Houston Nutt, alleging a breach of contract. It was that lawsuit that unearthed actions by Hugh Freeze, who was Ole Miss' coach at the time and led to his resignation. Since then, Mars had become an advocate for players hoping to transfer.

Following Freeze's resignation from Ole Miss, Mars helped seven Ole Miss players receive transfer waivers. One of those players was current Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson. Mars also helped Justin Fields gain immediate eligibility after the Georgia QB decided to transfer to Ohio State.

Not every transfer case Mars appealed was a success, including the recent case of Luke Ford. Ford, an Illinois native, transferred back to Illinois from Georgia to be closer to his ailing grandfather. The NCAA ruled that Ford wasn't eligible for a waiver since his grandfather didn't live within 100 miles of the school. Mars took up an appeal on Ford's behalf, but it was denied by the NCAA in June. Mars said recently that he would no longer be handling transfer waiver cases.

The Complex Case Unit was the recommendation of the Commission on College Basketball last year that was led by former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. The committee will begin operations next month, and it will be a group of external investigators as well as NCAA enforcement staff. The group's purpose will be to handle the more extensive and more complicated investigations of possible NCAA violations.

It will likely be a smooth transfer process for Mars.

Source: Cbssports.com

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Yahoo! • Ole Miss Rebels football • Houston Nutt • Breach of contract • Lawsuit • Hugh Freeze • University of Mississippi • University of Mississippi • Baseball • Michigan Wolverines football • Quarterback • Shea Patterson • Georgia Bulldogs football • Quarterback • Ohio State Buckeyes football • Transfer case • Luke Ford • Illinois Fighting Illini football • Illinois • Georgia (U.S. state) • National Collegiate Athletic Association • National Collegiate Athletic Association • College basketball • United States Secretary of State • Rice University • National Collegiate Athletic Association • Employment • Research • National Collegiate Athletic Association • Scientific method •