Suit alleges NCAA rule unfair to HS Class of '22
Key takeaways
- The NCAA will now allow athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first.
- A judge denied a temporary restraining order hours after the lawsuit was filed and scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday on the request for a preliminary injunction.
- Similar lawsuits are expected to be filed in other states.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Less than 24 hours after the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved a monumental change in eligibility rules, a group of 15 college basketball players filed a lawsuit in an Ohio state court claiming the new age-based model unfairly shuts them out of further competition.
The NCAA will now allow athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The move will all but eliminate waivers or redshirt years for extended eligibility except for religious missions, pregnancy or active-duty military service. No longer will extensions be considered for athletes who are injured.
Athletes whose eligibility expired by spring 2026 under the traditional model -- four years of competition over five years -- will not be allowed a fifth year of competition under the new rules that go into effect this fall.