KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Silvio De Sousa wants to play for KU, but since the NCAA says he's ineligible, he declared for the 2019 NBA Draft on Friday.
De Sousa says he will return to KU if he wins his appeal.
The NCAA ruled the sophomore ineligible in February after investigators said De Sousa's guardian received $2,500 from an agent and booster of the school. The NCAA says the guardian then agreed to accept an additional payment of $20,000 from the same person and an Adidas employee for securing De Sousa's enrollment at Kansas.
The investigation began during a federal trial involving Adidas and college basketball.
Kansas officially appealed his two-year suspension earlier this week. The school says De Sousa was suspended for most of the 2018-19 basketball season and all of the 2019-20 season "for alleged violations that he was unaware of and from which he did not benefit."
De Sousa did not play in any games during the 2018-2019 season. During the prior season, he appeared in 20 games and averaged four points per game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
