Northwestern QB Can Play

September 16, 1999 / 10:11 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Northwestern quarterback Zachary Kustok, who sued the NCAA to regain his eligibility, reached a settlement Thursday that allows him to play after Sept. 28., according to his lawyers.

The agreement makes Kustok eligible for the Wildcats' remaining seven games, beginning on Oct. 2 against Minnesota.

Kustok, 20, sued after the NCAA ruled he could not play in Northwestern's first seven games. He spent one season at Notre Dame but never got into a game and decided to attend a two-year junior college.

Kustok claims the NCAA compliance officer at the University of Kansas told him last fall that he would still have three seasons of football eligibility at another Division I-A school if he successfully completed one year at a junior college.

NCAA spokesman Jim Marchiony did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on the settlement early Thursday evening.

Kustok's lawyers said details of the settlement were confidential. They were unsure why the NCAA decided to settle but said the decision came quickly after Kustok's lead lawyer, Peter Rush, arranged for a deposition of officials at the University of Kansas.

Al Kustok, Zachary's father, said Thursday that his son was "excited and happy" about the ruling.

"We felt like this was a very fair offer, and we accepted it," he said.

Kustok has been practicing with the team as a backup to Wildcats' starting quarterback Nick Kreinbrink and was at practice when the announcement was made.