2022 Athletes Awarded Extra Year of NCAA Eligibility by Court
WHO:
The New York Times - Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney, NCAA President Charlie Baker, 12 athletes including Cade Tyson, 15 men’s basketball players, Jalen Washington, AJ Storr, Cole Hutson.
WHAT:
Yahoo Sports - The NCAA's chief legal officer, Scott Bearby, described the Colorado federal judge's decision as "egregiously wrong" and stated that the NCAA intends to appeal the ruling.
Yahoo Sports - The NCAA's letter indicated that the court's decision to certify a nationwide class and grant sweeping injunctive relief was made "with virtually no evidence, and without witness testimony or even so much as a hearing."
AP News - The Colorado ruling allows for the possibility that undrafted players in NFL training camps could return to college for a fifth year of eligibility.
Yahoo Sports - Reports emerged of several athletes, including former Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding and Georgia safety JaCorey Thomas, exploring the possibility of returning to college with renewed eligibility.
The New York Times - Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney's ruling grants college athletes from the Class of 2022 a fifth year of eligibility for the upcoming school year.
AP News - The ruling from Judge Sweeney allows all high school Class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this spring to be eligible for a fifth season this school year.
The New York Times - NCAA President Charlie Baker stated, “Without targeted intervention from Congress, college sports cannot set nationwide rules everyone can play by...”
The New York Times - A U.S. District Court judge granted a preliminary injunction allowing college athletes from the Class of 2022 to receive an additional year of NCAA eligibility.
The New York Times - The NCAA's new age-based eligibility rule eliminated most waiver exceptions, affecting athletes whose eligibility expired under previous rules.
The New York Times - The first lawsuit was filed in Ohio state court less than 24 hours after the NCAA announced the eligibility rule change.
The New York Times - A judge in Ohio granted an injunction in early July, allowing the affected players to transfer if their previous schools could not take them back.
WHERE:
The New York Times - The ruling was made in Colorado, with related cases in Ohio and Tennessee.
The New York Times - The case in Texas involved a judge in Travis County, home of the University of Texas.
WHEN:
The New York Times - The NCAA's eligibility rule change was set to be implemented on August 1.
The New York Times - The preliminary injunction grants immediate eligibility for the upcoming 2026-27 school year.
WHY:
AP News - The ruling was made in response to the NCAA's new eligibility model, which was designed to apply to athletes enrolling in college in fall 2027.
The New York Times - The injunction was granted in response to challenges against the NCAA’s newly approved age-based eligibility rule.
The New York Times - NCAA President Charlie Baker stated that without congressional intervention, college sports would face chaos and uncertainty regarding eligibility rules.
HOW:
The New York Times - The Colorado ruling grants class certification, meaning it applies to all Division I players who started their college careers in the 2022-23 season.
The New York Times - Plaintiffs have found more success in state court by making claims under contract law rather than federal antitrust.
The New York Times - The injunction in Colorado was granted to cover the entire Class of 2022 high school graduates facing similar circumstances.
The NCAA's chief legal officer, Scott Bearby, has labeled a recent Colorado federal judge's decision as "egregiously wrong" and announced plans to appeal the ruling. The NCAA's letter criticized the court for certifying a nationwide class and granting extensive injunctive relief without sufficient evidence or witness testimony. Meanwhile, reports indicate that several athletes, including former Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding and Georgia safety JaCorey Thomas, are considering the opportunity to return to college for a fifth year of eligibility following this ruling.