NCAA Says Peters Ineligible at CSUN

Paul Peters, a wide receiver and return specialist who played at Cal State Northridge last year, is ineligible for his senior season of football at the school because of his association with a professional football league, an NCAA spokesman said Wednesday.

Peters last week was selected in the 38th round by the Oregon Lightning Bolts of the fledgling Professional Spring Football League after attending a tryout Jan. 4 at Cal State Long Beach.

“You can’t try out for a professional team at any part of the year, including between semesters,” said Steve Mallonee, NCAA director of legislative services.

Peters had expressed a desire to return to Northridge for his final season of eligibility were he unable to make the Lightning Bolts’ roster. “I registered for school already, just in case,” Peters said of the spring semester, which begins Monday.

As a junior last fall, Peters returned a punt a school-record 96 yards and caught 29 passes for 453 yards and four touchdowns.

One factor in Peters’ decision to leave school was his grades.

“I messed up,” said Peters, who feared he would not be eligible for spring drills in April.

Northridge Coach Bob Burt acknowledged that Peters’ abilities would be missed, but he added: “We have all found in life that nobody is irreplaceable.”