Blog...Is This Going To Be Ben Mauk's Legacy?

Ben Mauk's comeback story was epic. However, he may not be remembered for his gritty battle to return from a devastating injury, but for a futile battle to obtain a sixth year of eligibility he likely doesn't deserve.

By J.P. Girouard

It was a great story.

The promising college quarterback suffers a devastating injury in a gruesome on-field incident. His career looks all but over, his school moves on. But somehow, through fortitude and a little bit of good fortune, this young man makes an amazing comeback with a new school - leading them to one of their best seasons ever.

That's how we should remember Ben Mauk - in fact, that's how I want to remember him. After suffering a broken arm and dislocated shoulder in the 2006 season opener, the fact that Mauk played football at all last year is a testament to his courage and discipline. The fact he threw for 31 touchdowns and led Cincinnati to a ten-win season is truly remarkable.

However, Mauk's legacy as a valiant warrior is fading, replaced by a quixotic, pointless quest for a sixth season of eligiblity. After numerous appeals were denied by the NCAA, Mauk announced today that he is suing the NCAA in an attempt to gain that extra year.

Remember - Ben Mauk only got to transfer to Cincinnati because of a since-rescinded rule that allowed graduate students to transfer without having to sit out a year. Without that rule, Mauk's 2007 season would've been spent holding a clipboard for Riley Skinner at Wake Forest instead of leading a top-25 team.

But that wasn't enough for Mauk. For the last several months, Mauk has been trying to get a sixth year of eligibility. He first claimed that his redshirt year in 2003 at Wake "wasn't his idea" and he could've helped the team out. When the NCAA didn't bite on that story - Mauk simply changed it; claiming that he was actually unable to particpate due to a surgical procedure he underwent in March of that year.

When the NCAA asked for proof from Wake Forest that he was unable to participate his freshman year due to medical reasons, none was forthcoming and his request was denied again. Now say what you want about the NCAA, but there is no way you can seriously argue about their decision here. It is hard to imagine a major college athletic department not having documentation of an injury severe enough to keep a player out of action the entire season.

But the real tarnishing of Mauk's legacy and of his heroic 2007 is not the questionable attempt to get a sixth year of eligibility. It's the fact he continues to pursue it now, deep into August, with little chance of success.

Apparently Mauk - despite a temporary injunction allowing him to rejoin the team - isn't welcome to practice with the Bearcats. Head coach Brian Kelly has already said that the team is moving on with Dustin Grutza as the starting quarterback.

At some point Ben Mauk's story will become little more than a punchline, the college football equivalent of Brett Farve v. Green Bay Packers. Like Farve, Mauk will be remembered almost as much for how his career ended as for what he accomplished during it.

J.P. Girouard writes/blogs/whines incessantly about the Big East for CollegeFootballNews.com

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