The judge’s decision means that all NCAA grads are temporarily eligible, which could lead to a permanent change.
With the help of a West Virginia judge, college players will have more freedom when they switch schools.
A majority of the changes seem to have happened to current transfers for winter sports, like basketball, who can now play in the next two weeks.
During a hearing in West Virginia district court on Wednesday, Judge John P. Bailey issued a 14-day temporary restraining order.
This means that college athletes who transferred more than once are now eligible right away, at least for the next two weeks. This could lead to more lawsuits from shifts seeking eligibility.
This won’t be the last time the NCAA lets players move. The court’s decision only applies during these 14 days. The decision doesn’t affect seasons to come.
At the brief injunction meeting on Dec. 27, the judge is likely to make an additional permanent decision about the case.
As of right now, the decision doesn’t apply to the NCAA’s rules about athletes who transfer more than once.
As things stand, athletes can only move once and can start playing right away at their new school.
But if you want to play right away after moving, you need a waiver issued by the NCAA or you have to sit out a year in what is called a “year-in-residence.”
The decision comes from two cases against the NCAA over transfer rules. One was filed by West Virginia basketball player RaeQuan Battle, who wanted to be eligible, and the other was filed by seven different state attorneys general, who want the NCAA’s transfer policy to be thrown out.
They were put together and heard together in front of Bailey on Wednesday morning in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of West Virginia.
Battle spoke at the meeting, but earlier this year, his waiver to play during West Virginia was turned down. He moved from Washington to Montana State to start his career and then back to Washington to finish it.
Maddox Kopp, a quarterback for Miami (Ohio), and Jamille Reynolds, a basketball player for Cincinnati, were two other athletes who tried to move but had their waivers rejected and testified at the hearing.
All three witnesses had good reasons for asking for a waiver. When the head coach left for another job, Kopp and Battle quit their second schools. Reynolds told the court that he left to protect himself.
On Wednesday, a federal judge in West Virginia issued a temporary injunction against the NCAA.
This means that college athletes who are at present unable to play in games because of the NCAA’s multi-time switch year residence rules can start playing right away.
For the next 14 days, the temporary blocking order will be in place. The lawsuit says that the NCAA rule that players who have transferred more than once must sit toward a year within residence breaks antitrust law.
The case of State of Ohio et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association was brought to the attention of Judge John Preston Bailey last week within the U.S. District Court for the northern district for West Virginia, Clarksburg division.
By putting the NCAA under a temporary order of protection (TRO), Bailey made all players who were previously banned from games eligible right away, even if they are still trying to get a waiver over eligibility.
A federal TRO can last for up to 14 days. On December 27, there will be another meeting, and the judge will probably decide then whether to grant a preliminary injunction.
This injunction would make sure that athletes get the same decision about their status in any future trials.
It’s also important to note that Judge Bailey limited the NCAA’s ability to enforce both its multi-time transfer rule and its rule of repayment for the duration of the TRO.
This means that the NCAA cannot punish universities for playing any affected athletes over the following fourteen days.
“Until the preliminary injunction hearing on December 27, 2023, at 10 a.m., I am granting and issuing a temporary restraining order for 14 days.
This order stops the NCAA from enforcing the rule of restitution, NCAA bylaw 12.11.4.2, and the transfer eligibility rule insofar that it requires a transfer to stay out for an academic year of residence.” Bailey told me.