The Class of 2022 athletes who thought they had an extra year of eligibility? That’s gone, for most of them anyway. The NCAA got a massive win Friday, with a Colorado district court granting a stay in that ongoing case, immediately shifting those players back to ineligible status unless they’ve filed their own individual lawsuits and secured separate temporary restraining orders against the NCAA.
Chaos Has A Name And It’s ‘The Hangover’
Seriously, if you’re a college football general manager, you’re probably feeling exactly like Ed Helms’ character in “The Hangover” right about now. One GM actually joked to CBS Sports that the meme of Helms waking up groggy and confused pretty much sums up his daily vibe. It’s a mess, and who can blame them?
This whole eligibility craziness has been one wild saga ever since that initial Colorado district court ruling on July 31, which had given all Class of 2022 players an extra year. But with Friday’s stay in the case, led by Northern Colorado basketball player Brock Wisne, that sweeping fifth year is off the table. Unless a player has their own specific TRO, they’re out.
Not So Fast: State Courts Are Throwing Players Lifelines
Hold up though, because the chaos is far from over. While the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals’ stay took away that universal fifth year from the Colorado case, a bunch of athletes are still good to go because they’ve locked down their own temporary restraining orders and injunctions at the state level. These aren’t just minor things either.
Take Louisiana, for example. A case there earlier this week allowed players who’d even signed NFL contracts to return to school. New Mexico kicker Luke Drzewiecki is a prime example: he got his year back via the Louisiana case Thursday and by Friday, he’d already inked a deal with Minnesota for his final season. Also, right after the Colorado ruling dropped Friday, a court in Kentucky granted TROs to ten other athletes. Former Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos got his own TRO Friday too, meaning he can come back for a fifth season and even hit the transfer portal. Lawyers are calling these TROs “layers of protection” against NCAA rules, so even with the Colorado lawsuit stayed, players who gained eligibility in other cases are completely unaffected.
This legal saga is far from over, folks. With individual lawsuits and state-level decisions creating a patchwork of eligibility, every day is going to bring new twists for these athletes and college programs. Buckle up, because this rollercoaster is just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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