ATHENS – One of Tennessee’s top attorneys is ready to fight the NCAA and, if necessary, the SEC to get Cade Mays an exemption for immediate qualification after the initial request was denied.
Gregory Isaacs, one of Knoxville’s most high-profile and reputable attorneys, has taken over Mays as a client and will “repackage” the profession, per radio station WNML. Isaacs also said Georgia did not support Mays’ transfer to Tennessee.
NCAA rules require mandating that undergraduate players who transfer a season sit out unless they receive an exemption.
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The SEC has the same rule for transfers with interconference, so Mays will also need an exemption from the league office.
“The NCAA’s mandate is to ensure the well-being and future success of student-athletes,” Isaacs told the Knoxville News-Sentinel. “Cade Mays clearly meets these criteria.”
The Cade Mays case is indeed attracting national attention, to the interesting extent former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin has come to Mays’ support.
Kiffin, who in his one year as head coach of the Vols completed a three-year NCAA investigation that ended with recruiting sanctions, does not see Tennessee on his Ole Miss schedule this season.
Free Cade Mays! Feel for your Cade@Vol_Footballhttps://t.co/V565SUykyC
– Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) August 19, 2020
Toxic environment?
Isaacs, whose law firm advertises himself as “prominent and dynamic,” has set his sights on a “toxic environment” that Mays has apparently said he treated in Georgia.
The Bulldogs went 23-5 in the two seasons of Mays in Athens. Mays earned Freshman All-American honors in 2018 and started 11 games last season, coming up on every offensive line position.
“I find that useful,” Mays said at the start of his second season in Georgia, asking about its use. “If something happens, I’m the man who can be plugged in.
‘I think it takes my game to a new level. I learned from last year. I have grown a lot as a player. ”
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It’s hard to imagine the grounds of the profession that have anything to do with a lack of opportunity, team success or player development.
Thomas Mars, who represented Mays at the start of his transfer (Jan. 9), said Wednesday that he has nothing further to add to his remarks about Mays’ appeal for immediate eligibility.
Tom Mars, former lawyer for Cade Mays:
‘I’m sorry to say the least. But at this point, I do not think there’s anything the NCAA could do about a waiver request that would shock me. I’m starting to think they should use a dartboard to make these decisions. ”
– Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) August 18, 2020
Mays was likely to start this season after the Bulldogs selected three offensive linemen in the 2020 NFL Draft. Two of the players were offensive tackles from the first round – Mays’ primary position.
Look back
Mays was a 5-star prospect from Knoxville Catholic High School who once anchored a recruiting class that topped the SEC ranks at the start of the 2017 season.
A top former manager at UT told SEC Country at the time that Mays’ dedication to the Vols accelerated the departure of Butch Jones, who struggled midway through a 4-6 season when fired with two games left in the 2017 campaign.
Meanwhile, things could not have been any different in Georgia.
The 2017 Bulldogs had been chased by a Checkerboarded Neyland Stadium with a 41-0 triumph on their way to winning the SEC Championship. Georgia then won the Rose Bowl before losing to Alabama in the overtime of the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
Mays found his way to the field quickly near Georgia, starting in seven games as a true freshman and earning FWAA Freshman All-American honors for a team that finished 11-3 and won the SEC East Division.
RELATED: Cade Mays Ready to Rally ‘Life Support’ Bulldogs
Last season, Mays started 11 of 14 games, playing all five line positions. Mays started on the left approach in his last game with the Bulldogs, a 26-14 Sugar Bowl victory over Baylor that ended a 12-2 campaign that included another SEC East Division title.
Video by Cade Mays, 28 dec. 2019, New Orleans
Mays showed no public signs of disharmony his last season with the Bulldogs, upbeat and jovial in the various media interviews he conducted, including his definitive appearance for the Sugar Bowl.
Why transfer?
Many believe Mays’ transfer is related to the ongoing lawsuit filed by his father, Kevin, against UGA. Kevin Mays was a former Tennessee captain under College Football Hall of Famer and current Vols’ AD Phillip Fulmer.
The family is suing for $ 3 million in lost wages, medical bills and pain and suffering after Kevin Mays’ right pinky finger was partially amputated after it was wedged against a column in a folding chair on Dec. 15. 2017, ahead of Cade’s commitment to the Bulldogs.
RELATED: Details come to light in Cade Mays’ family lawsuit against UGA
Mays said in an August 20, 2019 interview that his family strongly encouraged him to come to Georgia.
“I don’t think it was very difficult for my family, they supported me from Day One,” Mays said. ‘They told me if you want to go to California, we’ll be at every game. We’ll make it work no matter what.
“I have made a decision that was best for me, and I am grateful that they support it as they did.”
Some suggested that Mays’ transfer could be related to Georgia not offering its younger brother, Cooper, an unsolicited grant. Cooper Mays is a bright young prospect on the Tennessee football team, but the Bulldogs’ offensive line room was already loaded in this class.
Another possibility for Mays to leave is that his self-proclaimed best friend, Isaiah Wilson, chose to become a professional after last season. Wilson was the first round pick of the Tennessee Titans.
Still others cite Sam Pittman, formerly the Georgia offensive line coach, leaving UGA to take the Arkansas head coach job after the 2019 SEC Championship Game.
“High confidence”
Tennessee staff and fans believed Mays would be granted an exemption for immediate qualification like so many other players before him.
It’s a Vols culture that was fired after an 8-5 season that ended with six straight wins under third-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
Mars said last January when Mays announced his transfer that he was ‘highly confident’ that he would be the talented offensive lineman immediately eligible.
RELATED: Rocky Top Hop, shocking Cade Mays decision to leave Georgia
In a statement on the “VolsWire” website, Mars stated that Mays had a very strong case, and he accused the university of leaking information about a separate, unrelated lawsuit the family had filed for select media.
“I can confirm that I represent Cade Mays in connection with his transfer from Georgia. Based on my research into the facts and circumstances, I am very confident that Cade will get an exemption allowing him to play next season. Of all the exemptions I have been involved in, I have never seen anything like it. And for the sake of everyone who loves football, I hope I never see anyone else.
Federal law students’ privacy requirements do not allow the NCAA or its member institutions to comment publicly on the reasons behind the transfer of a student-athlete, and there is no reason for them to. The fact that a college student is a high profile student-athlete does not entitle anyone who has a Twitter account or a press right to know every little detail about that student’s college experience. That said, of the thousands of college football fans who have speculated on social media why Cade decided to leave UGA, I have not seen a single comment that even comes close to the truth.
Developments for indemnity are decided by the NCAA’s Legislative Relief Section. NCAA Enforcement has nothing to do with decisions about eligibility. I’m under contract with NCAA enforcement as an ‘independent enforcement attorney’ (on a standby basis without compensation) to be part of a team of professionals who will handle all enforcement cases that may eventually be assigned to the complex case unit. My contract with NCAA Enforcement prevents me from representing anyone in a case involving alleged violations of NCAA rules. However, I am not prohibited from representing student-athletes or advising schools in matters relating to eligibility. If I am asked to handle a case assigned to the CCU in the future, I will withdraw from doing work on behalf of the NCAA only to prevent the appearance of a conflict of interest. In the meantime, much of my sports rights practice is still about student-athlete eligibility issues.
The Mays family has never said a word to anyone about Kevin Mays’ lawsuit. The timing of ‘enews stories about the lawsuit of Mr. Mays makes it clear that UGA is leaking this story to sports writers today after Cade delivered a letter to Kirby Smart yesterday explaining why he was leaving Kirby’s program. In fact, one sports writer I spoke to earlier today confirmed that he found out about the lawsuit. I think I would not be surprised if UGA continues with the empty road over the lawsuit, but by directing sports writers to the lawsuit of Mr. Mays sets a new record for UGA Athletics. ”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart is very selective about which players he sends to chat with media.
Mays made many more appearances last season than most any other player on the team.
It turned out to be no hint that he was not satisfied with the culture at the University of Georgia in any of his performances.
Tennessee opens its season on Sept. 26. In South Carolina.
Cade Mays video interviews
August 20, 2019
September 7, 2019
September 16, 2019
October 19, 2019
Nov 9 2019
November 11, 2019
December 2, 2019
