Judge issues temporary restraining order against SEC and NCAA over eligibility dispute
A Dallas federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking the SEC, NCAA and commissioner Greg Sankey from enforcing a rule that would deny fifth-year eligibility to players from the 2022 high school class.
A federal judge in Dallas, Texas, issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) that bars the SEC, the NCAA and commissioner Greg Sankey from implementing a policy that would prevent players from the high-school class of 2022, who spent time under NFL contracts, from receiving an additional year of college eligibility. The order follows a prior injunction that granted those players a fifth year of eligibility.
The court’s decision means the conference cannot enforce the contested rule while the litigation continues.
"The injunction provides players with a right to an additional year of eligibility, and the conference must comply with that order," the judge said in the ruling.
The SEC had sought to maintain its eligibility restrictions, a move critics said was intended to build support for pending legislation known as the Protect College Sports Act, which aims to grant schools an antitrust exemption. The Senate is expected to consider the bill after returning from its summer recess.