NCAA denies Jones III’s appeal

On Thursday, the NCAA Division I Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement denied Baylor’s appeal to immediately reinstate freshman Perry Jones III, who was declared ineligible on March 9.

Baylor sought outside counsel from Bond, Schoeneck & King and presented its appeal on Wednesday. The ruling came Thursday.

Jones must sit out the first five games of next season and repay the improper benefits he received to a charity of his choice. He was declared ineligible both because of loans his mother received from his high school club basketball coach and funds that coach gave Jones to travel to San Diego to see a preseason professional football game.

Baylor athletics director Ian McCaw said he was displeased at the news.

“We continue to believe that Perry Jones III and the Baylor’s men’s basketball team received a disparate outcome in relation to other recent high-profile cases,” McCaw said.

Jones was Baylor’s second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game this season.