Kansas forward De Sousa gets year of eligibility back

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa will be eligible to play next season after the NCAA’s reinstatement committee agreed Friday with an appeal filed by the school.

The NCAA had declared De Sousa ineligible this past season and next season in early February.

The punishment came after De Sousa’s named surfaced last summer in an FBI probe into corruption in college basketball. The NCAA found that De Sousa’s guardian, Fenny Falmagne, had received a $2,500 payment from a “university booster and agent” and agreed to an additional $20,000 payment from the same individual and an Adidas employee for securing his commitment to Kansas.

The school appealed the decision, and the NCAA said it had “determined additional relief was appropriate.”

De Sousa declared for next month’s NBA draft but said he would return to Kansas if he could play next season.