… more commonly known as the medical redshirt. An explanation from WVU’s compliance office follows as to how it might relate to Reed Williams and/or Brantwon Bowser … which still seems too good to be true (I’m not sure which I like more: the part where Stew’s confirmation isn’t quite solid enough or the part where I’m accused of stealing from a chat room. I swear, I have an alibi).

(My comments in italics)
The main points to remember are:
– The student-athlete must suffer an incapacitating injury or illness which keeps them out the remainder of the season (a re-injury is still an injury, so if Reed or Brantwon are re-injured, it’s still seen as an injury.)
– The student-athlete has not participated in more than three contests or 30% (whichever is greater) of the institution’s scheduled or completed contests. (WVU is scheduled to play 12 games and 30% is 3.6. The number is always rounded up, so they havefour games. They can play in parts or all of the first four games before a decision must be made. Any action after the fourth game eliminates the possibility of a redshirt.)

(In depth)
14.2.4 Hardship Waiver.
A student-athlete may be granted an additional year of competition by the conference or the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement for reasons of “hardship.” Hardship is defined as an incapacity resulting from an injury or illness that has occurred under all of the following conditions:
(Revised: 8/8/02, 11/1/07 effective 8/1/08)
(a) The incapacitating injury or illness occurs in one of the four seasons of intercollegiate competition at any two-year or four-year collegiate institutions or occurs after the first day of classes in the student-athlete’s senior year in high school;
(Revised: 1/10/92 effective 8/1/92, 11/01/01, 8/8/02)
(b) The injury or illness occurs prior to the first competition of the second half of the playing season that concludes with the NCAA championship in that sport  (see Bylaw 14.2.4.3.4) and results in incapacity to compete for the remainder of that playing season; 
(Revised: 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97, 4/26/01 effective 8/1/01, 4/3/02, 4/24/08)
(c) In team sports, the injury or illness occurs when the student-athlete has not participated in more than three contests or dates of competition (whichever is applicable to that sport) or 30 percent (whichever number is greater) of the institution’s scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in his or her sport.

Only scheduled or completed competition (including exempted events but excluding scrimmages and exhibition contests identified as such in the legislation) against outside participants during the playing season that concludes with the NCAA championship, or, if so designated, during the official NCAA championship playing season in that sport (e.g., spring baseball, fall soccer), shall be countable under this limitation in calculating both the number of contests or dates of competition in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition during that season in the sport. 

Dates of competition that are exempted (e.g., alumni contests, foreign team in U.S.) from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition shall count toward the number of contests or dates in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in the season, except for scrimmages and exhibition contests that are specifically identified as such in the sport’s Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations.  Scrimmages and exhibition contests that are not exempted from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition may be excluded from the calculation only if they are identified as such by in the sport’s Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations; and 
(Revised: 1/10/92, 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97, 4/26/01 effective 8/1/01, 3/10/04, 5/11/05, 8/4/05, 4/26/07 applicable to student-athletes who initially enrolled full time in a collegiate institution on or after 8/1/03, 9/18/07, 4/24/08)