Once-homeless Baylor RB ineligible

Baylorwalk-on running backSilas Nacitaannounced that the NCAA ruled him ineligible because he accepted impermissible benefits while he was homelesslast summer.

Nacita, a backup who rushed for three touchdowns last season, walked on to the Baylor program in the summer of 2014 after being homeless for a year.

"A few months before enrolling, a close family friend approached me and said they didn't want me sleeping on floors and wondering how I was going to eat the next meal," Nacita wrote on his @Salsa_NachoTwitter account, "so they insisted on putting me in an apartment and helping out with those living expenses.

"Because I accepted that offer instead of choosing to be homeless, I am no longer eligible to play football and pursue my dream. I had no idea I was breaking any rules, but I respect the decision of the NCAA."

Nacita, a native of Bakersfield, California, had transferred from Cornell but was unable to enroll in 2013. He lived homeless for the next year and took online community college courses at a library while sleeping on the floor at friends' apartments. He earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors in his first year at Baylor.

Nacita did not participate in the Bears' first spring practice on Tuesday.

"Silas Nacita will not be a part of the football program moving forward due to rules violations that impact his eligibility," Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw said in a statement released by the school. "We appreciate his contributions to Baylor football and wish him well as he completes his studies."