NCAA agrees to waive transfer rule as part of antitrust settlement

(The Center Square) – The NCAA has agreed to waive a transfer rule requiring athletes transferring for the second time to take a year off as part of a settlement with 10 states and the District of Columbia that sued over the rule.

The proposed settlement must be approved by U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey.

The settlement requires the NCAA not to retaliate against schools that protested the rules or reward those that followed them, requires the NCAA to grant an additional year of eligibility to any athlete who missed a year due to these rules in 2019–20, and prevents the NCAA from taking future actions to circumvent it proposed settlement.

“We have leveled the playing field for college athletes to give them greater control over their destiny,” said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. “This long-term change is exactly what we wanted to achieve.”

The antitrust lawsuit is led by Ohio, with West Virginia serving as local legal counsel on the matter along with Tennessee, North Carolina, Illinois, Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit alleged that NCAA rules violate Section 1 of the Sherman Act by artificially deterring athletes from achieving the earning potential associated with their full name, image and likeness.

The case is pending in West Virginia federal court, and West Virginia initially joined the case after the NCAA denied RaeQuan Battle a transfer waiver to play basketball at West Virginia University.

“This is a major victory not only for RaeQuan, but for all student-athletes burdened by the NCAA’s flawed transfer regulations,” said West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. “The NCAA must enact consistent, logical and defensible rules that are fair and equal for all.”