NCAA Secures Temporary Federal Win Amid Eligibility Chaos
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A U.S. appeals court halted a ruling that would have granted thousands of athletes an extra season, but the NCAA still faces a wave of state-level lawsuits.
The NCAA secured a temporary victory Friday when a panel of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 decision halting a judge's order that would have granted thousands of college athletes an additional season of eligibility, as Sportsnet first reported.
The legal battle centers on the Class of 2022, whose eligibility expired last season. While the NCAA recently implemented a new rule granting most Division I athletes five years of eligibility over five years, that rule does not take effect until next season.
Despite the federal stay, the NCAA is facing a surge of state-court lawsuits. Sam Ehrlich, a former lawyer and operator of the College Sports Litigation Tracker who now works at Boise State, noted that these filings were a "just in case" measure. Some players have already secured wins in state courts, including former Ole Miss starters Wydett Williams, Zxavian Harris, and Dae’Quan Wright, who won a Louisiana state court ruling allowing them to return despite signing with NFL teams this summer. Other athletes awaiting clarity include Indiana defensive linemen Stephan Daley and Kellan Wyatt.
In an Ohio appeals court, a similar injunction involving Xavier basketball player Filip Borovicanin and others was also paused. However, Ehrlich stated that judges nationwide have been "unanimous" that the NCAA is in the wrong regarding the Class of 2022.
NCAA chief legal officer Scott Bearby issued a memo to schools stating they would not face punishment for allowing players to compete between July 31 and Friday, though he maintained those players are no longer eligible. Plaintiffs' attorney Rob Shelquist described the federal ruling as procedural and not a decision on the merits of the antitrust claims.
In its legal brief, the NCAA argued that returning thousands of ineligible athletes would be unfair to schools and current players who built rosters based on existing rules.