The notion college sports are for college students who will move on when they complete their degree or turn pro enjoys near-universal support. But right now, that fundamental boundary is being dismantled amid a relentless wave of litigation.
In two cases, the NCAA has been ordered to allow professional basketball players to return to college basketball, despite the fact they intentionally left college to go to the NBA Draft and each played in several NBA games. In another case, a judge required the NCAA to allow an athlete to compete for a fifth school in five years. And in the past two weeks, without so much as a hearing, let alone a trial, two courts permitted NFL players to return immediately to college football. These few examples are merely the tip of the iceberg.
POWER PLAY: College football's 25 most powerful people
OP-ED: Federal antitrust protection is only workable path to saving college sports
Eligibility rules have long held a simple purpose: Ensuring a fair playing field while preserving access to the life-changing benefits college sports provide to actual college students. For decades, that standard meant allowing student-athletes four seasons of competition over five years. Recognizing the need for evolution, NCAA member schools recently updated this rule to allow up to five years of competition before age 24. However, since the start of 2025, more than 165 lawsuits have been filed seeking to tear down these basic limits.
#ncaa #allow #players
In two cases, the NCAA has been ordered to allow professional basketball players to return to college basketball, despite the fact they intentionally left college to go to the NBA Draft and each played in several NBA games. In another case, a judge required the NCAA to allow an athlete to compete for a fifth school in five years. And in the past two weeks, without so much as a hearing, let alone a trial, two courts permitted NFL players to return immediately to college football. These few examples are merely the tip of the iceberg.
POWER PLAY: College football's 25 most powerful people
OP-ED: Federal antitrust protection is only workable path to saving college sports
Eligibility rules have long held a simple purpose: Ensuring a fair playing field while preserving access to the life-changing benefits college sports provide to actual college students. For decades, that standard meant allowing student-athletes four seasons of competition over five years. Recognizing the need for evolution, NCAA member schools recently updated this rule to allow up to five years of competition before age 24. However, since the start of 2025, more than 165 lawsuits have been filed seeking to tear down these basic limits.
#ncaa #allow #players
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