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Kansas to hold sophomore forward out of competition over eligibility concerns

Kansas v Villanova

SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 31: Silvio De Sousa #22 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts after being defeated by the Villanova Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four Semifinal at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. Villanova defeated Kansas 95-79. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

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Kansas announced on Wednesday morning that sophomore forward Silvio De Sousa is going to be withheld from competition “pending the outcome of an eligibility review.”

“Information was presented during the current trial in New York -- some of which we knew, so of which we didn’t,” head coach Bill Self said in a statement released by the program. “We have decided to withhold Silvio from competition until we can evaluate and understand the new information. We have already discussed trial developments with the NCAA and will continue to work with NCAA staff moving forward.”

De Sousa was connected to the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball due to a payment that was allegedly made to him. During the trial, former Adidas bag man T.J. Gassnola testified that he had agreed to pay $20,000 to De Sousa’s guardian, Fenny Falmagne, so Falmagne could reimburse a Maryland booster that had already paid him for De Sousa to go to Maryland.

According to texts that came out in the trial, the Kansas staff appeared to be aware of the work that Gassnola was doing on behalf of Adidas, who has a 12-year, $191 million apparel contract with the university.

De Sousa averaged 4.0 points and 3.7 boards for the Jayhawks last season after enrolling at the school in January. He played in the run to the 2018 Final Four.

Originally a member of the Class of 2018, De Sousa opted to reclassify and enroll at Kansas early when it became clear that Billy Preston was not going to be able to play for the Jayhawks last season.