What we know
What we know: Federal appeals court hands NCAA a victory in struggle for five-year eligibility rule
Compiled Nov 6
What we know
- The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver reversed a lower-court decision that had granted a fifth year of eligibility to players who graduated high school in 2022.
- The case is Wisne vs. NCAA.
- The lower-court ruling in July had gone against the NCAA's new rule, which grants five years of eligibility starting with the next year's class.
- In August, the same appeals court first put the lower-court ruling on hold.
- NCAA chief legal officer Scott Bearby applauded the appeals court decision.
- The decision was written by Judge Carolyn McHugh, who rejected the argument that all Division I players form a single market.
What we don’t know yet
- The ruling does not resolve roughly 200 state court cases involving as many as 850 athletes.
Open questions
- What will happen to the roughly 200 pending state court cases?
- Will players like Thomas Castellanos remain eligible going forward?
- How will this ruling affect current football and basketball rosters this season?
- Could the plaintiffs appeal or refine their market-definition argument?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.