Federal appeals court pauses order granting extra year of NCAA eligibility for 2022 grads
AP News • • sports
Key Points:
- A federal appeals court temporarily blocked a ruling that would have granted thousands of college athletes who left after last season an extra year of eligibility, just eight days before the college football season opener.
- The lawsuit involves players who graduated high school in 2022 and were excluded from the NCAA’s new rule allowing most players five years of eligibility starting next season.
- The NCAA argues that allowing these athletes to return now would be unfair to current players and schools who have already set their rosters, emphasizing that fairness is subjective.
- Despite the appeals court stay, the NCAA continues to face similar lawsuits in state courts, and some athletes have already won eligibility extensions, creating ongoing uncertainty.
- Coaches and programs remain cautious about roster decisions amid the legal confusion, with some advocating for the NCAA to have delayed its eligibility rule announcement to avoid such issues.
