Tenth Circuit rules for NCAA in eligibility dispute
Federal judges reversed a lower court order that had granted the 2022 high school graduating class an extra year of college competition.
By William Turner ·
A federal appeals court in Denver issued a decision on Friday that favors the NCAA in its fight over how to apply new eligibility rules. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court judgment that had given players who graduated high school in 2022 a fifth year of competition. This move restores the association's plan to extend eligibility to five years only for athletes entering college after the 2022 class.
The lower court's July ruling created immediate complications for programs across the country. It effectively allowed the 2022 class to compete immediately, disrupting rosters that had already adjusted to the new five-year structure. Many teams signed players who had previously been sidelined, leading to what officials described as nationwide chaos in roster management.
The legal landscape remains complicated because the federal ruling does not stop state court cases. Approximately 200 lawsuits involving up to 850 athletes are still pending in state jurisdictions. These state courts have often issued favorable rulings for players, allowing them to stay on rosters even after federal courts paused the original lower court order.
Scott Bearby, the NCAA's chief legal officer, stated that the 10th Circuit's decision aligns with other federal appeals courts. He noted in a memo to members that the ruling supports the view that changing eligibility rules retroactively can destabilize teams. Bearby argued that such changes disrupt the settled expectations of student-athletes regarding their spots on rosters and playing time.
The panel's decision focused on how the plaintiffs defined the market for players. Judge Carolyn McHugh wrote that the group failed to prove that all Division I athletes form a single market. The judges rejected the argument that a football player would consider schools without a football program as a reasonable substitute for a roster spot.
Uncertainty persists as the fall and winter sports seasons progress. Some athletes, such as Texas Tech quarterback Thomas Castellanos, have moved in and out of eligibility based on shifting court orders. Basketball season began this week with teams still managing rosters under this legal ambiguity.
