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The medical redshirt years gained by three Syracuse University lacrosse players could be jeopardized because of the way two different conferences interpret the NCAA rule, SU coach John Desko said Monday.

Those redshirt applications, known in NCAA parlance as "hardship waivers," were filed by SU on behalf of Greg Rommel, Steven Brooks and Dustin Palmer.

Rommel (broken thumb) and Brooks (knee) missed most of last season because of injury; Palmer (wrist) missed most of the 2005 season. All three, Desko said, were granted hardship waivers by the Big East, which reviews and grants the waivers to athletes of member schools. All three athletes gained an extra year of eligibility to compensate for their lost seasons.

NCAA bylaws stipulate that student-athletes can apply for a hardship waiver if a season-ending injury or illness occurs early in the year. To be eligible for the hardship waiver, the athlete must not have participated in more than two contests or in 20 percent of the school's scheduled contests, whichever is greater.

At issue, said Desko, is whether scrimmage games should be included in that equation. Desko said the Big East does not count scrimmages as contests; another conference, however, apparently does, which has prompted the review.