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A federal court in West Virginia made a major ruling on Wednesday when it approved a temporary restraining order to allow NCAA athletes to transfer multiple times without any restrictions.
“The only thing I am saying is that you can’t make a player sit out a year for these 14 days,” judge Preston Bailey said when NCAA lawyer Ben Bailey questioned the decision.
Following Bailey’s order, the NCAA released a statement:
“As a result of today’s decision impacting Division I student-athletes, the Association will not enforce the year in residency requirement for multi-time transfers and will begin notifying member schools,” the statement read.
With a full hearing set for Dec. 27, many questioned whether college athletes would rush to enter the transfer portal and find a new destination in the meantime.
Now we know the answer.
The NCAA revealed Thursday evening that athletes who transfer within the 14-day window could lose eligibility if the ruling is overturned, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reports.
“Yes,” the document states. “The 14-day TRO only enjoined Bylaw 14.5.5.1 and does not change the season of competition legislation.”
The statement comes in response to an earlier report claiming that the NCAA would allow athletes to transfer freely within the 14-day window.
Despite the TRO, several schools with pending incoming transfer did not allow players to suit up for their news teams. That decision was out of concern that the NCAA could deem the student athlete ineligible retroactively.
Now it appears those schools made the right decision.