In a hearing today, the NCAA’s rule requiring players who are two-time undergraduate transfers to sit out a year was struck down by a temporary restraining order, opening a 14-day window for players to play.
This includes West Virginia’s RaeQuan Battle, who sued the NCAA as his lawsuit was joined with a suit from seven states (including West Virginia), and heard on Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided over the case, and ruled in favor of granting the TRO as well as struck out the restitution rule, meaning the NCAA cannot punish players or schools for having a player play in the window, if they are later ruled ineligible to play.
Bailey’s decision said, “this Court will enjoin NCAA from enforcing the Rule of Restitution against student-athletes and their respective institutions.” Bailey added, “the breadth of the Rule of Restitution is staggering and goes well beyond final adjudication on the merits of the merits in the NCAA’s favor. It is in fact a measure designed to inhibit a person’s access to the courts.”
Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported the NCAA said they are going to agree with Bailey’s decision, getting rid of the residency rule.
“As a result of today’s decision impacting Division I student-athletes, the association will not enforce the year in residency requirement for multiple-time transfers and will begin notifying member schools,” the NCAA said.
Current student-athletes have been allowed one ‘free’ transfer, where they can leave their original school and go to another with no penalty. However, if they are an undergraduate transfer trying to go to a second institution (like Battle), then they need to acquire a waiver to become eligible to participate in competition. Battle had his waiver denied as well as the appeal of that waiver.
All of this means is Battle, (and presumably other multi-time transfers such as WVU’s Noah Farrakhan), can be immediately eligible to play until there is an injunction hearing on Dec. 27. The NCAA is not going to step in until the next hearing on that date.
West Virginia’s next game is this upcoming Saturday, Dec. 16, against UMass.
