Considering Peter O'Brten  has been taking classes in Coral Gables since August 2011 and NONE of the facts were in dispute, why did the NCAA make him sweat this so long so that had they not found in his favor he would have had to scramble to find either a D2 or an NAIA school close to home in order to still play some baseball?

The Canes, though they assumed the Waiver was a fait accompli & originallly expected the clearance by mid-October at the latest nevertheless held the Bethune-Cookman transfer senior slugger from Braddock HS from playing competitively since the end of the 2011 season.  He never originally considered Miami seriously as he was only one year behind Yasmani Grandal as a Dade prep and was looking to play earlier than later, yet despite a compelling and legitimate reason to need to be near home for the past year, Miami – already in the NCAAs cross-hairs after the Nevin Shapiro scandal – used an abundance of caution with O'Brien, sitting him out completely from fall ball so as not to jeopardize the eligibility of anyone who took the field with him, 
I just dont get how the NCAA can grant Tyler Palmer, a UF to Miami transfer, a waiver IMMEDIATELY while – despite tremendous documentation – they put O'Brien in a horrible position and really hamstrung any choices he would have by waiting until the second semester had ALREADY STARTED with games weeks away before finally granting the waiver. 

During three seasons playing at BC-U, O'Brien compiled 38 home runs, 38 doubles, & 154 RBI with a .336 batting average in 168 games.

Is this inconsistency in timing and absurdly long delay for the waiver because the NCAA did not want to set precedent for a high profile draft pick transfer or just the mysterious workings of an understaffed, over-reaching bureaucracy like the NCAA?

I can’t pretend to understand the NCAA’s motivations or mechanisms, Scott. Just be glad he got ruled eligible eventually!