After a enduring a controversial saga that appeared to have ended his high school football career, MLive has received word that Walled Lake Western High School wide receiver Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen has regained his eligibility to play football this season.

After the MHSAA deemed Yaseen ineligible to play after ruling he had exhausted his high school eligibility, Yaseen’s father, Khalid Yaseen, called MLive late on Thursday afternoon with news that the decision has been reversed. Yaseen’s situation received ample attention from media partly because he is rated as a four-star wide receiver by ESPN and Rivals and is committed to Northwestern.

“It went through the process, I guess,” Khalid Yaseen said. “They took (an appeal) up again ... I don’t know how, I don’t exactly know the inner workings of it but we’re definitely appreciative and grateful.”

Khalid Yaseen said that they received the news directly from the district-wide athletic director Brian Swinehart that Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen is now eligible. Swinehart did not respond to a voicemail at the time of publishing. Khalid Yaseen also mentioned that there was an executive committee meeting held on the topic.

The controversial saga surrounding Yaseen evolved from when Western school officials reported to the MHSAA that Yaseen had taken freshman-level courses while being homeschooled as an eighth grader. The MHSAA reviewed the issue and ruled that Yaseen was ineligible because he had exhausted all eligibility according to the MHSAA Handbook:

SECTION 4 (A)—A student shall not compete in athletics who has been enrolled in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, for more than eight semesters or 12 trimesters. The seventh and eighth semesters of enrollment or the 10th, 11th and 12th trimesters of enrollment must be consecutive.

Because Adbur-Rahmaan Yaseen took ninth grade classes in what should have been his eighth-grade year as a home school student, the MHSAA executive committee ruled that his eligibility was used up within his first three years at Western High School. Despite having turned 17 within the last month and still needing three classes to officially graduate, it looked like Yaseen was going to have to sit on the sidelines for what should have been his fourth year playing varsity football.

The decision left Yaseen heartbroken and his father was disappointed as well. Yaseen even mentioned the possibility of transferring out of state to play for a prep school.

Now, it appears Yaseen will be able to start playing football with Western right away. Western opens the football season next Thursday night at home against White Lake Lakeland.

Walled Lake Western coach Alex Grignon did not return a phone call at the time of publishing. Khalid Yaseen said his son was unavailable for comment at the time as well.