A registered sex offender has emerged as a star player on a top-tier college football team, resuming his athletic career after being expelled from the Air Force Academy where he was court-martialed for sexual assault.
No NCAA rule prevents a person with a criminal conviction from playing college athletics, a spokesperson told ABC News. It is left up to the individual college or conference to determine eligibility.
Jamil Cooks, 23, enrolled at Alcorn State in Mississippi, a Division I NCAA school after being found guilty in April 2013 of abusive sexual contact in a court martial proceeding at the Air Force Academy, which required him to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
A Sierra High School grad from Colorado Springs, Cooks was named Alcorn State Player of the Week after he "recorded six tackles, one sack, and three tackles for a loss in the Braves 55-7 victory over Virginia University of Lynchburg" in September. Cooks plays the defensive end position for Alcorn State.
In October, Cooks was named “newcomer of the week” by the Southwest Athletic Conference after his performance in an Alcorn State victory over Texas Southern.
Your Privacy Choice
Comments are open to Gazette subscribers only