Will NCAA Student Athletes Gain Additional Years Of Eligibility?

The NCAA has been facing multiple battles on multiple legal fronts as plaintiffs use the antitrust laws to undermine the traditional regulatory scheme. As we have previously discussed, plaintiffs have already attacked transfer restrictions and the NCAA's prohibitions on student athletes' ability to receive direct compensation and payments. The latest battle is over the duration of student athlete eligibility. Whereas plaintiffs are now targeting NCAA D-1 Bylaw 12.8.1, which limits eligibility to five years with some minor exceptions. A new antitrust challenge could significantly extend that window—provided that the student athlete remains a full-time student at their given university.