Former Florida State forward Alex Steen’s fight for another season of college basketball eligibility took a massive hit on Friday, September 11. Leon County Circuit Court Judge David M. Frank denied Steen’s verified emergency motion for a temporary and preliminary injunction. This is a huge setback for Steen, who is pushing to secure a fifth season for 2026-27.
What Was Steen Even Fighting For?
Steen is actually suing the NCAA to get that fifth season. He and his attorneys, along with the NCAA’s reps, were in front of Judge Frank for a hearing back on September 2. Here’s the deal: Steen came out of high school in 2022 and has played four college seasons straight, no redshirts. His whole lawsuit is about challenging why he’s excluded from the NCAA’s new eligibility rules that give five seasons of competition to athletes from the 2023 class and beyond. It feels like a total unfairness, doesn’t it? He put in the work for three seasons at Division II Florida Southern before transferring to FSU for the 2025-26 season. While at Florida State, he averaged 6.8 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds across 32 games. The dude was a contributor!
The Judge’s Ruling Drops the Hammer
Under Florida law, Steen needed to nail down four specific things to get that temporary injunction: a strong shot at winning on the merits, no other legal remedy, proof of irreparable harm without the injunction, and showing that giving him relief would serve the public interest. Well, Judge Frank said Steen just didn’t meet the standard. The court found Steen’s claims about losing out on practices, workouts, team activities, recruiting chats, and pro evaluations were just “speculative” and didn’t have enough evidence. Plus, the judge argued that any potential lost NIL money could totally be measured in cash, meaning it could be fixed later with monetary damages. Ouch. Frank also decided that an injunction wouldn’t even be good for the “public interest.” He reasoned that handing one player another season could mess with roster spots, playing time, scholarships, and revenue-sharing for other athletes. You gotta wonder if the NCAA’s lawyers were celebrating that one.
What’s Next for Steen and the NCAA?
Now, this isn’t the absolute end of the road for Steen’s underlying lawsuit, thank goodness. Judge Frank was clear that this denial isn’t a final decision on Steen’s main claims. The case is still set to move forward to a full evidentiary hearing on the merits. Both sides have been ordered to submit a proposed scheduling order within five days. So, while this setback stings, it’s not over yet. Steen’s fight continues, and every Noles fan is watching to see how this plays out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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