Not disbelieving that this is the case, but curious how you know what the specific factor was? Does Fordham specify anywhere that a D is disqualifying (like some colleges do)?
This is all I could see on their page - something for OP to take into account too:
Starting off a little bit on the wrong foot, but being able to make up for that with rigor and strength” shows you’re serious about your academic future, Dean Peek says. “What we don’t want is to see the opposite—where you start off really strong, and the harder the work gets, the lower the grades get.”