Federal appeals court judges handed the NCAA a major victory on Friday by reversing a lower-court order that had granted a fifth year of eligibility to college athletes who graduated high school in 2022. The ruling in Wisne v. NCAA by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals vacates the nationwide preliminary injunction in full, ending months of roster uncertainty for hundreds of athletes across the country as reported by ESPN.
The legal battle centers on the NCAA’s implementation of a new age-based eligibility model introduced in June, which provides athletes with five years to compete in up to five full seasons according to USA Today. While the updated rules apply to current and future classes, the association initially chose not to retroactively extend the fifth season to athletes who had already exhausted four years of competition under previous regulations. That exclusion prompted a wave of lawsuits from the Class of 2022, including a federal class action led by former Northern Colorado basketball player Brock Wisne noted Minnesota Sports Fan.
At Penn State wrestling media day, coach Cael Sanderson was asked about the likelihood that 2-time NCAA champ Levi Haines gets a 5th year of eligibility. “I don’t know,” Sanderson three times before asking the NCAA to enforce its rules. pic.twitter.com/Bb4ABmIXcl
— https://x.com/MarkWogenrich/status/2112645629675450589
Market Definition Defeats Antitrust Claims
In the appellate decision penned by U.S. Circuit Judge Carolyn B. McHugh, the three-judge panel concluded that the plaintiffs failed to properly define the relevant labor market under the Sherman Act, ruling that the NCAA cannot be treated as a single, uniform employer, Courthouse News reported. The court found that individual athletic programs within universities—rather than all Division I sports combined—function as the true employers, and that athletes in different sports do not view every university program as a viable substitute Yahoo Sports detailed.
Obviously, a football player looking for a Division I roster spot would not view the 101 schools without a football program as reasonably good substitutes,
Judge McHugh wrote in the opinion, adding that a women’s volleyball player similarly does not look to lacrosse as a workable alternative, Sportico noted.
NEW: The NCAA has prevailed in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals against plaintiffs seeking an extra season for '22 athletes who didn't redshirt. @austinmasseySBI on it. It means Levi Haines is ineligible to wrestle for Penn State this season. Details: https://t.co/LZoxpaURak pic.twitter.com/DdAQCcFJl5
— https://x.com/GregPickel/status/2118744261550325961
The panel’s conclusion aligns with rulings from the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 9th Circuits, marking another appellate decision rejecting antitrust challenges against NCAA eligibility restrictions Sportico pointed out.
Impact on Rosters and Star Athletes
NCAA Chief Legal Officer Scott Bearby welcomed the decision in a memo to member schools, emphasizing the disruption caused by earlier court orders, USA Today reported. Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed the district court’s order granting a preliminary injunction in Wisne v. NCAA and vacated the injunction in full,
Bearby wrote according to the memo obtained by USA Today. He added that the ruling acknowledges the NCAA’s concern that retroactively changing eligibility rules can destabilize rosters and disrupt the settled expectations of student-athletes regarding roster spots and playing time
, ESPN reported.
While the 10th Circuit previously issued a temporary stay on the injunction in August, many athletes had temporarily joined team rosters or fought separate state-level legal challenges, ESPN noted. The federal ruling does not automatically resolve roughly 200 concurrent lawsuits pending in state courts involving up to 850 athletes ESPN stated.
Haines had prepared for a potential fifth season while training with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, but Friday’s federal ruling leaves him without eligibility to rejoin the varsity lineup for the 2026–27 season unless he pursues separate legal action, EssentiallySports reported. Head coach Cael Sanderson noted that Haines had been preparing to compete this season for the Nittany Lions. Haines recently won his first Senior World freestyle title by securing a victory with a 4-3 decision over Mohammad Nokhodilarimi of Iran, scoring the winning takedown in the final two minutes of the match.
There aren’t many better senior prospects in this years NBA Draft than 6’7 Minnesota Wing Cade Tyson. Tyson has been one of the most efficient players in college basketball this season averaging 22/5/3 on 53/41/83 splits and is top 5 in High Major scoring. Tyson’s ability to… pic.twitter.com/VxgLfujcyx
— https://x.com/KJScouting/status/2007239204376625375
Earlier coverage: Tenth Circuit Reverses Injunction on NCAA Five-Year Eligibility Rule
NEWS: The Tenth Circuit has REVERSED and VACATED the nationwide preliminary injunction in Wisne v. NCAA, issuing a published opinion in the 5-for-5 eligibility litigation. The injunction had already been stayed since August 21, and following oral arguments that appeared to go… pic.twitter.com/xOHXRKULhp
— https://x.com/austinmasseySBI/status/2118733052046123327
1/ A federal appeals court ruled for the NCAA today in Wisne v. NCAA. The 10th Circuit reversed and vacated the nationwide injunction that had given 2022 high school graduates another season of eligibility. Here is what it means for baseball families. 🧵 2/ What the court said:…
— https://x.com/CoachBeede/status/2118829906679202218