RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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On Friday, the day he was scheduled to fly to Knoxville, Tennessee to begin camp as a late addition to the Volunteers, Monty Hunt awoke in his San Diego home to a text.
A Tennessee staff member informed him that he was, as of that morning, no longer eligible.
How could he be eligible one day and not eligible another?
Upon opening social media, he got his answer: A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the NCAA by freezing a Colorado court's sweeping decision to grant all of the 2022 high school class members an additional fifth year of eligibility.
The appeals decision — to stay the lower court's order until the completion of a full appeals process — means that Hunt's lifelong dream, at least for now, is dashed. And so too is the $50,000 in promised NIL compensation and scholarship costs.
"It's stressful for sure," he told Yahoo Sports on Monday during an interview. "I was waiting all these months and I finally got a chance to play SEC ball and the day before I leave, it gets pulled."
Hunt is one of many.
The appeals court ruling dealt a stunning blow to hundreds of athletes across the college sports landscape who were preparing to play this fall season in their respective sport through the federal ruling out of Colorado.
They were actively practicing, some even had already participated in exhibition games. They were on depth charts, travel rosters, scholarship lists and even NIL payment plans. They are team captains, key backups and role players.
Out from under them all, the proverbial rug was pulled.
"I literally spent all day Friday crying," said Ocean Rideout, a Portland State soccer player.
In the middle of a multi-game exhibition trip to California last week, Rideout learned of the court's ruling from an assistant coach at breakfast, just a few hours after she started in a preseason match and hours before she was scheduled to start in another one.
"I was suspended from all team activities," she said. "It's emotionally distressing to be in a limbo situation. One day you are eligible and one day you are ineligible."
Like many athletes across the country, Rideout spent much of her weekend researching ways to file a lawsuit in state court to regain her eligibility. It beats waiting weeks or months for the completion of an appeals process in the federal case in Colorado.
College administrators and athletes say that's the biggest rub with all of this: Inconsistent judicial decisions create an uneven playing field.
Those athletes who did not file or win lawsuits in state court are at the mercy of the Colorado federal case. A mad scramble is now unfolding for athletes to file locally.
Most of these players are similarly situated as part of the 2022 high school class requesting a fifth season of eligibility — a move sparked by the NCAA's new eligibility policy to grant athletes the ability to play five seasons, not four as was the case under the previous policy. However, the NCAA — a membership association where schools create the rules — did not grant an exception to those four-year players graduating this spring.
With the sweeping federal, class-action ruling frozen, hundreds of athletes are now exploring state-wide lawsuits — at least those who can afford it.
"I'm trying to find an attorney that will do it pro bono," Rideout said. "I don't have NIL funds like some of the football players."
Some may be unable to do so, like Abby Jeffries, a track and field athlete at Long Island University. As a named plaintiff in the federal case, she is unlikely to win an individual state court lawsuit, her attorneys say.
"It's beyond unfair. It's heartless," Jeffries said of the NCAA's approach.
"What happened with the stay has been devastating to athletes all over the country," said Diana Florence, with Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick law firm and one of the leaders of a team of attorneys representing athletes in the Colorado federal case. "If these athletes were born one year later, they'd be greeted with open arms for next year's eligibility. The NCAA's mission is supposed to center on the best interest of the student athlete. In what way is preventing athletes like Abby Jeffries from competing consistent with that mission?"
The Colorado ruling sent Jeffries, an aspiring medical student, quite literally to the bank. She needed to extract a $30,000 loan now to cover tuition after her scholarship was revoked.
"It's a mess," said Darren Heitner, a Florida-based sports law attorney who claims he's received nearly 1,000 inquiries since Friday's ruling. He expects dozens of lawsuits to be filed this week from athletes seeking a fifth season of eligibility.
More than 18 eligibility lawsuits have already been filed in 15 different states by more than 150 athletes in response to the association not making an exception for those 2022 high school class members. The NCAA has won a stay in three: the federal court decision, one in Ohio and another in New Jersey.
LSU vs. the SEC
No single suit has drawn more attention than a Louisiana judge's decision to grant a group of athletes a fifth year, including several of them who signed NFL undrafted free agent contracts and even competed in NFL preseason games.
At least two of those players hold agreements to join coach Lane Kiffin and the LSU football team: tight end Dae'Quan Wright from the Cleveland Browns and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris from the New Orleans Saints. Kiffin coached both last year at Ole Miss.
Though he was careful not to confirm any new signings, Kiffin addressed the situation during a regularly scheduled news conference on Monday, defending his program and other schools for recruiting players in the NFL. He pointed the finger at the current system.
Athletes are only using legal avenues to regain eligibility that they did n...
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