A U.S. District Court judge in Colorado has granted a preliminary injunction that allows college athletes from the high school Class of 2022 to receive a fifth year of NCAA eligibility for the upcoming school year. The ruling, issued by Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney on Friday, applies to athletes who were impacted by the NCAA's COVID-19 waiver policies.
The injunction stems from a lawsuit filed by athletes who argued that the NCAA's decision to grant an extra year of eligibility to athletes from the Classes of 2020 and 2021, but not to the Class of 2022, was unfair. The judge agreed that the Class of 2022 athletes faced irreparable harm without the additional year.
Under the ruling, athletes from the Class of 2022 who have remaining eligibility will be allowed to compete during the 2026-27 academic year. The NCAA has not yet announced whether it will appeal the decision.
This legal action is part of a broader ongoing debate about athlete eligibility and the long-term effects of the pandemic on college sports careers.
