Fitzgerald Draft Eligible?

There have been a lot of conflicting reports concerning wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald's eligibility for the 2004 NFL Draft. Some reports say he is not eligible because he is a true sophmore, while others point out that the Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver attended a prep school before entering college.

The way I understand it, Larry Fitzgerald is not eligible for the 2004 NFL Draft barring any change in eligibility requirements that might be forced by the Maurice Clarett case. Even though he attended a prep school before enrolling at Pitt, he did not graduate from high school until May 2002 and, by rule, is not eligible until the 2005 NFL Draft.

Fitzgerald spent three years at the Academy of the Holy Angels High School in Minnesota, and began his senior year there as well. In January of 2001, he left and enrolled at Valley Forge Military Academy. At the time, he was enrolled as a second-semester junior, not a senior. He had to complete the semester to meet the requirements of his junior year there, then return for his senior year in 2001-02.