The NCAA is challenging an Ohio judge’s decision to grant 15 athletes an additional year of eligibility, raising concerns that the judge did not disclose ties to schools connected to several of the players involved in the case.
According to Yahoo Sports, Ohio judge Chris Wagner graduated from Xavier before earning his law degree at Cincinnati. His wife also serves as a dean at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Five of the athletes included in the lawsuit are affiliated with either Cincinnati or Xavier.
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Following the ruling, the NCAA released a statement indicating it is exploring its legal options: “The Court’s apparent ties with one of the schools seeking to roster an ineligible player were not disclosed to the parties,” the NCAA said in a statement provided to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. “We continue to explore all avenues for reversal, including a stay of the court’s order pending appeal.”
Earlier this week, Wagner granted a preliminary injunction allowing the 15 athletes to compete during the 2026-27 season despite the NCAA’s recently adopted age-based, five-year eligibility policy. The ruling also permits the players to transfer immediately, even though the NCAA transfer portal is closed.
The lawsuit was initially filed in June after the NCAA approved its new eligibility model. Under the policy, an athlete’s eligibility clock begins upon full-time college enrollment or at the start of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.
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The plaintiffs argued the new rule unfairly excludes athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 and did not redshirt, despite allowing older players from previous classes to benefit from expanded eligibility.
“NCAA athletes have a reasonable expectation that they will be treated fairly by the NCAA and that NCAA rules will be applied consistently,” the lawsuit states. “The NCAA has finally announced plans to formally codify the five years of competition on a permanent basis.
“… But in doing so, the NCAA plans to intentionally exclude all current college seniors who graduated high school in 2022 and have not redshirted.”
Among the athletes impacted by the ruling are Cincinnati guard MJ Collins and Xavier forward Filip Borovicanin, both of whom are now eligible to compete during the 2026-27 season. The remaining plaintiffs include Malik Messina-Moore, Kolby King, Javon Bennett, Chevalier Emery Jr., Jalen Quinn, Savannah White, Donovan Brown, Christian Henry, Ziare Wells, Cristian Carroll, Shawn Phillips Jr., Caden Powell and Josh Reed.
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The NCAA has not yet announced whether it will formally appeal the injunction. However, their latest statement makes clear the organization intends to continue fighting the ruling while seeking to have the order overturned.
— On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this article.
