East Valley’s Rodrick Fisher granted extra year of eligibility

East Valley football standout Rodrick Fisher has been granted a fifth season, District 7 officials confirmed Tuesday.

EV coach Adam Fisher said it was a unanimous decision.

Rodrick Fisher’s eligibility clock officially ended this spring. He was a few credits shy of graduation because he was homeless his sophomore year and didn’t attend school.

In March of Fisher’s junior year, Adam Fisher and his family allowed Rodrick to move in.

Rodrick’s life began to turn around immediately. By December, he was adopted by the Fishers on his 18th birthday.

The Fishers filed for the extra year of eligibility last month. A wide receiver/defensive back, Rodrick had the fastest 100-meter in the state last spring for all classifications.

“It was a 34-page document stating the hardship went back to his eighth grade year to all the way through when he moved with us,” Adam Fisher said. “He’s made up a lot of ground through the last two summers. It’s part of the process that was started 17 months ago when he moved in.”

Prior to moving in with the Fishers, Rodrick’s highest grade-point average was 1.6; his last three have been 3.3, 2.8 and 3.0.

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Fisher will sign a letter of intent to play at Washington State University during the NCAA’s new early signing period in late December. He’s decided to sign on his 19th birthday, Dec. 21.

“It’s a true blessing that it did go through,” Rodrick Fisher said of the hardship appeal. “Every day, every step, is a blessing.”

Said Adam Fisher: “His 18th and 19th birthdays are hard to beat as far as historic events go.”