In a significant legal development, a Louisiana court has issued a temporary restraining order allowing several athletes, some of whom are under contract with NFL teams, to resume college sports, according to an ESPN report.
The lawsuit involved notable players such as former Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson, now with the Seattle Seahawks, Jack Pyburn from Florida and LSU with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and ex-Mississippi players Dae’Quan Wright and Wydett Williams, currently with the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals, respectively.
As NFL teams progress through training camps, the deadline to pare down rosters to 53 players looms on August 30. This court order provides an alternative for those athletes who might not make the final cut, unless the NCAA successfully appeals the ruling.
Sixteen football players are among the 33 athletes from various sports who filed the lawsuit, seeking an additional year of collegiate eligibility.
This decision is part of a pattern of legal challenges that the NCAA has faced concerning eligibility rules. Tim Buckley, NCAA senior vice president of external affairs, expressed concern, stating, “Courts across the country granting relief to ineligible athletes who already had every opportunity to compete in college — sometimes without even having a hearing — are failing to appreciate the destabilizing effect their rulings are having on college sports.” He added, “The lawyers bringing these cases seemingly won’t be satisfied until every professional athlete can treat college sports as a fallback option, regardless of the opportunities it strips from those who will never have a chance to begin their collegiate sports experience.”
Previously, a federal court in Denver ruled on July 31 that athletes from the high school class of 2022, who had used up their four years of college eligibility, are eligible for a fifth season this academic year. This ruling was made shortly after the NCAA implemented a new rule allowing athletes five years to complete five seasons of competition, effective for those enrolling in the fall of 2027. The Denver court’s decision effectively bypasses the waiting period established by the NCAA.
For more details, read the full federal court ruling here and learn about the NCAA’s rule change here.
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