By Jeff Goodman<\/p>\n
Six Wofford players have been deemed ineligible by the NCAA due to a communications issue involving off-campus housing that ultimately resulted in the firing of head coach Dwight Perry<\/a><\/strong> and associate head coach Tysor Anderson last week.<\/p>\n Mark Peper, who represents a total of seven players on the roster \u2013 including four ruled ineligible on Wednesday by the NCAA, told The Field of 68 that all of the players fully support their request to have both Perry and Anderson reinstated.<\/p>\n Under the NCAA rules, the players have a 30-day window following a coaching change to enter the transfer portal. Peper said that the players could elect to enter the portal if Perry and Anderson aren\u2019t given their jobs back \u2013 which could put the program in danger of not being able to field a team this season.<\/p>\n Six players \u2013 including five juniors who transferred from other schools \u2013 were informed in the summer of 2025 they would be placed in upperclassmen dorms at Wofford \u2013 which include an ensuite bathroom. Instead, they were placed in underclassmen dorms.<\/p>\n \u201cThat promise was not kept,\u201d Peper told The Field of 68. \u201cCoach Anderson, who has always looked out for the players best interests, asked them if they wanted to keep their current dorm assignment or rent an apartment off campus and pay for it themselves. They chose the latter, and Coach Anderson properly informed administration of their plan to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n Peper said that five days after classes began they were forced to break their lease to remain eligible, and they broke their lease on Sept. 3, 2025.<\/p>\n Peper said the players were informed on Sept. 17 that the NCAA deemed them ineligible for using their meal plan while living off campus, which had never been discussed with them previously. Peper said the alleged \u201cimpermissible benefits\u201d they received ranged from $84 to $108.<\/p>\n \u201cTo penalize the student athletes for what can only be described as the college\u2019s failure to properly communicate with coaching staff is completely unfair, and while the college and I fully expect the NCAA to swiftly reinstate them, the damage has been done,\u201d Peper said.<\/p>\n Perry, 37, led Wofford to the NCAA tournament last season after winning the SoCon tournament. Perry was in his third season after being elevated following the departure of Jay McAuley<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 who was forced to resign after an investigation found that he was forcing players to work on days the program told the school\u2019s compliance were days off.<\/p>\n Subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to The Field of 68\u2019s Daily Newsletter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Follow The Field of 68 on X<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n