NCAA, Coalition Request Extension On Transfer Policy Restraining Order
Dec 15, 2023, 6:00 PM
A NCAA logo is seen on the wall as Yeshiva players warmup prior to playing against Worcester Polytechnic Institute during the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship - First Round at Goldfarb Gymnasium on at Johns Hopkins University on March 6, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. On Thursday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced that Maryland had confirmed three cases of residents with COVID-19, otherwise known as the Coronavirus, prompting Johns Hopkins officials to host the NCAA men's basketball tournament without spectators. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The NCAA and a state-based coalition jointly filed a request for an extension on the temporary restraining order regarding the transfer policy of collegiate student-athletes.
The joint motion was filed on Friday, December 15.
RELATED: Judge TRO Ruling Forces NCAA To Allow Immediate Eligibility For All Transfers
Ohio Attorney General says the NCAA has agreed that multi-year transfers in winter and spring sports can play this year without reprisal, pending court approval.
(There had been concern they could lose a year of eligibility if the original TRO was overturned) https://t.co/qvll6a7bRu
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 15, 2023
Two days before the joint motion, West Virginia’s U.S. District Judge Preston Bailey issued a restraining order for 14 days against the NCAA regarding the organization’s policy for transfer student-athletes.
Friday’s motion would convert the restraining order from its current temporary status to a preliminary injunction and would allow transfer players to play immediately without their eligibility status being reversed after 14 days.
Per ESPN.com, the NCAA said in a statement on Friday that, “given the unprecedented decision by the courts earlier this week, the NCAA has reached an agreement with the States to convert the temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction through the remainder of the 2023-24 NCAA championship season.”
Our bipartisan state-based coalition, led by my friend Ohio AG David Yost, just filed a joint motion with the NCAA requesting an extension of our temporary restraining order against the NCAA’s transfer eligibility policy. This joint motion would freeze our TRO through at least…
— Patrick Morrisey (@MorriseyWV) December 15, 2023
“We don’t want the college athletes to get caught in the middle of this court case,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “The joint motion filed today signifies our shared commitment to ensuring that sports seasons operate smoothly during the legal proceedings.”
BREAKING: The NCAA has agreed to terms that have been jointly submitted to the federal court for approval.
* No retaliation against players who play during the temporary restraining order.
* The TRO is converted to a preliminary injunction, to last till the end of spring sports https://t.co/GBUgjXBygW
— Attorney General Dave Yost (@DaveYostOH) December 15, 2023
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In August, the NCAA announced stricter rules for athletes transferring as an undergrad for a second time. The NCAA currently allows a one-time waiver for transfers to move once as an undergraduate athlete.
Seven states, including West Virginia, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA for those stricter policies. Then, on Wednesday, Judge Bailey granted the TRO, potentially changing the landscape of college athletics forever.
With this temporary restraining order, athletes deemed ineligible for the 2023-24 academic year due to transfer rules are now eligible.
