A federal judge in West Virginia granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA on Wednesday that grants immediate eligibility to college athletes who are currently forced to sit out game competition under the NCAA’s multi-time transfer year in residence requirements. The temporary restraining order is in effect for the next 14 days.
Judge John Preston Bailey ruled on the State of Ohio et al v. National Collegiate Athletic Association complaint, which was filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the northern district of West Virginia, Clarksburg division. The suit argues that the NCAA’s rule requiring multi-time transfer athletes to sit out a year in residence violates antitrust law.
By issuing a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the NCAA, Bailey has granted immediate eligibility to any athletes currently barred from participating in game competition regardless of whether they are pursuing a waiver for eligibility. Fourteen days is the maximum allotment for a federal TRO; another hearing will be held on Dec. 27, where the judge will likely decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction, which would extend the same eligibility decision to athletes through the length of any subsequent trial.
Also significant is that Judge Bailey, in addition to…
