Colorado district court judge Charlotte Sweeney issued an order clarifying that several restrictions that still remain on college athletes who may have been granted an extra year of eligibility through her surprise Friday night ruling.
Sweeney first ruled that the NCAA could not prevent athletes who had enrolled in college in 2022 from using a fifth year of eligibility, even if they had already completed four years of eligibility.
According to her latest order, though, players aren’t eligible if they’re over the age of 24 or have signed a professional contract. Sweeney also said they must abide by NCAA transfer rules, and their schools are still subject to the revenue-sharing cap and roster limits set by the House v. NCAA settlement.
The NCAA has already filed its first appeal in an attempt to overturn the ruling altogether. But for now, NCAA chief legal officer Scott Bearby told members how the association views the injunction’s limitations. “The District Court of Colorado has granted the NCAA’s motion to clarify the injunction and make clear that the House Settlement’s roster limits and benefits cap remain fully in effect,” he wrote in a statement. “Class members’ eligibility to participate will be determined by application of the age-based eligibility rule—iin other words, they must be within five years of when they first enrolled at any college or turned 19, whichever occurred earlier. All other NCAA eligibility rules, including rules regarding professional participation, remain in effect.”
