Group of 11 Division I athletes files federal suit challenging NCAA five-year eligibility rule
Eleven Division I athletes have sued the NCAA, claiming the new five-year eligibility rule unfairly blocks them from extending their college careers and earning NIL compensation.
Eleven Division I athletes, including basketball players Cade Tyson and Brock Wisne, filed a federal class-action lawsuit in Colorado on Monday alleging that the NCAA’s recently adopted five-year eligibility rule prevents them from playing in the 2026-27 season after they exhausted eligibility in 2025-26. The plaintiffs contend the rule was applied selectively, denying them the chance to transfer, continue competing and receive name, image and likeness (NIL) earnings.
The lawsuit seeks immediate and lasting relief, arguing that without it the athletes will suffer irreparable harm, lose scholarship support and forfeit potential NIL compensation. A recent preliminary injunction in Ohio allowed 24 basketball players to remain eligible and enter the transfer portal after a similar dispute, but the NCAA’s Division I cabinet said it does not plan to alter the rule.
"These athletes aren't asking for special treatment," said Rob Shelquist, a partner at Cuneo Gilbert Flannery & LaDuca, LLP. "They're asking to not be singled out and excluded from the NCAA's eligibility framework."
If the court rules in favor of the athletes, the decision could invalidate the eligibility rule for a broad group of student-athletes across sports, potentially reshaping the college-sports landscape ahead of the upcoming football season. A ruling against the plaintiffs would reinforce the NCAA’s position, which has already faced multiple state-level challenges to the same rule.