Thousands of athletes who thought their NCAA playing careers were finished may have just gotten another year of eligibility.
On Friday, Colorado district court judge Charlotte Sweeney granted a preliminary injunction in a proposed class action called Wisne et al v. NCAA. The injunction requires the NCAA to grant a fifth year of eligibility to athletes who graduated high school in 2022, but who had already completed four years of eligibility by the end of this season.
The lawsuit was filed shortly after the NCAA announced a new “age-based” eligibility policy in June. The new rules, effective immediately, allowed players five years to complete five seasons (starting on their 19th birthday or when they enrolled in college, whichever occurred first), but stated athletes from the class of 2022 who completed four years would not be eligible for a fifth year.
The decision set off a cascade of lawsuits, first in state courts and applying specifically to the athletes who filed the cases. Wisne, however, took a different route, arguing in federal court that the NCAA’s decision violated federal antitrust laws. All the lawsuits argued players would lose valuable NIL (name, image, and likeness) opportunities among other educational benefits if they were denied a fifth year.
