Pitt's Lucas Nix To Play In BBVA Compass Bowl Vs. SMU

Offensive lineman Lucas Nix got in a brawl with a few West Virginia players over Christmas break, but Paul Zeise of the Post-Gazette says he won't be suspended.

And that's good news for Pitt's bowl chances.

Apparently, the decision for interim coach Keith Patterson came down to the fact that Nix hadn't been arrested, only charged a few weeks later. Because of that, Nix will get a chance to play in his last game:

"We were just made aware of the situation last night, Lucas was made aware of the situation last night via mail," Patterson said today. "It was a difficult situation to evaluate based on the late notice based on the information we had been given. But we've done a thorough investigation based on the information we have at hand.

"But I visited with Lucas this morning, I had a great conversation with him and based on that information, I feel like he deserves the opportunity to finish and play his final college football game.

"He received the information through the mail, so again, there was no arrest and I'm trying to make the best decision based on the information I have."

This is, in so many ways, the right decision. Nix went in and got into a fight over Christmas break. Nothing major happened and while I don't condone his actions in any way, there's no way Patterson should suspend him over this. Patterson was also in a tight spot because the team just found out about the charges, but the right thing to do is let Nix play in his final game.