CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The NCAA and a coalition of states suing the organization announced Thursday a proposed settlement to a lawsuit that would allow athletes to be immediately eligible to play no matter how many times they transfer and offer some who were sidelined an extra year. of eligibility.
Under the agreement, a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in West Virginia allowing athletes from multiple transfers to compete would be made permanent. Judge John Preston Bailey would still have to approve the pact.
Thursday's agreement comes a month after the NCAA Division I Council expedited legislation that was ratified by the Division I board of directors to align with Bailey's preliminary injunction.
Under the agreement, the NCAA would be required to grant an additional year of eligibility to Division I athletes previously deemed ineligible under the transfer eligibility rule beginning with the 2019-20 academic year.
“We have leveled the playing field for college athletes to allow them to better control their destinies,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. “This long-term change is exactly what we set out to achieve.”
In a statement, the NCAA said the agreement “is just one of many ways the Association is providing more benefits to student-athletes, increasing flexibility and making impactful reforms.”
Athletes would still have to meet academic requirements to maintain eligibility. Transfer windows, which are sport-specific, remain in effect and require college athletes to enter their names into the portal at certain times to be immediately eligible at a new school. Graduate students can now transfer multiple times and enter the portal outside of windows while maintaining immediate eligibility.
The agreement would prevent the NCAA from retaliating against member institutions and athletes who challenge the rule or support those who do so. This includes safeguarding the rights of student-athletes to compete during legal proceedings without fear of punishment by the NCAA.
Additionally, the NCAA would be prohibited from undermining or circumventing its provisions through future actions that could threaten the rights and freedoms of athletes, according to the agreement.
Under the agreement, the federal court in the Northern District of West Virginia would maintain jurisdiction to enforce its terms and resolve any disputes that might arise. The lawsuit was scheduled for a jury trial next year.
One of the players highlighted in the lawsuit was West Virginia's RaeQuan Battle, who had cited mental health issues in his decision to transfer to West Virginia after previously playing at Washington and Montana State.
Battle, the first person from the Tulalip Reservation in Washington state to play Division I basketball, had said he had lost “countless people” to drugs, alcohol and COVID-19 over the years and believed West Virginia had the right support system to help him. thrive personally and academically.
After the NCAA denied his request to immediately play at West Virginia, Battle missed the first month of the 2023-24 season before the December court order allowed him to play the remainder of the schedule.
Battle recently participated in workouts ahead of next month's NBA draft.
“The NCAA needs to recognize the underlying issues affecting student-athletes in every decision,” West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a statement. “There are often real-life issues at stake.”
The U.S. Department of Justice, which joined the lawsuit in January, participated in the settlement. In addition to Ohio and West Virginia, other states that signed the agreement were Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.
