A federal judge issued a temporary, 14-day restraining order on the NCAA’s transfer waiver rule on Wednesday. It’s the latest development in a lawsuit led by a group of seven state attorneys general, including North Carolina’s Josh Stein.

Under the restraining order, college athletes who were denied the opportunity to play immediately after a second transfer can return to competition. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey, who issued the restraining order, said a hearing is scheduled for December 27.

Stein is joined by attorneys general from Ohio, West Virginia, Colorado, Illinois, Tennessee and New York in the case. The group filed the federal antitrust lawsuit on December 7.

“College sports are changing rapidly, but one thing remains the same: protecting student athletes has to be the top priority,” Stein said last week. “This rule has been applied inconsistently and hampers college athletes from freely making decisions about where they go to school.”

Stein previously grappled with the NCAA by coming to UNC wide receiver Tez Walker’s defense earlier this year. After the NCAA denied Walker’s immediately eligibility as a multi-time transfer, Stein wrote a letter to the organization in which he threatened legal action. The NCAA soon reversed its decision and let Walker play. Stein also supported the immediate eligibility of Wake Forest men’s basketball player Efton Reid, who won his case last week after initially being denied.

“The NCAA has long claimed that the transfer rule is necessary to give students time to acclimate,” Stein said, “but that justification doesn’t make sense for student-athletes who are in good academic standing. Coaches come and go as is best for their careers and families – students should enjoy that same freedom.”

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Hannah Schoenbaum

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