There may not be a whole lot to this — indeed, after some hustling, we’ve been told it’s for an initial eligibility issue — but it’s nevertheless interesting to see that WVU has encountered a fairly common obstacle and contracted the guy for help with matters involving the NCAA.

Put the requisite reminder to be responsible right here, please. This may be something more than what normally happens when a school discovers or is made aware of an eligibility issue. It may be something that’s eventually adjudicated as easily as other eligibility matters are. It may be the beginning of WVU using outside counsel from this point forward. It may be a way for WVU to maintain the privilege of privacy and thus usurping FOIA access.

All we do know is that WVU aligned itself with one of the foremost figures in the field, and that by itself is interesting.

And so is this: Last night, I was told that conclusions that clear Darrien Howard and Isaac McDonald are “pending.” It seems McDonald is good to go now, while people I talked to hedged on Howard, but remained confident. Take that for what it’s worth, but you know how I feel about coincidences. It’s plausible these news items are connected.