One day after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, allowing athletes to transfer twice without having to sit out a season, the governing body issued some transfer guidelines for member schools.
As reported by Jeff Borzello of ESPN, the NCAA published an eight-question document designed to help its membership to understand issues stemming from Wednesday's court decision. The fourth question asked whether the season of competition legislation applies to a student-athlete competing during the 14-day TRO.
"Yes," the document states. "The 14-day TRO only enjoined Bylaw 14.5.5.1 and does not change the season of competition legislation."
The new guidance walks back a report Wednesday that cited an NCAA spokesperson saying athletes will not lose a year of eligibility in the event the court ruling is eventually overturned.
A hearing on the restraining order is scheduled for Dec. 27.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Preston Bailey in West Virginia issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, allowing two-time transfers to play immediately. The NCAA allows underclassmen to transfer once without sitting out a year, but a second transfer as an underclassmen requires a waiver to play immediately. The NCAA has granted waivers to certain student-athletes on a case-by-case basis, Borzello reported.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by West Virginia and six other states alleging the NCAA's waiver process violated federal antitrust law.
Related: Judge: College Athletes Who Transfer Twice Can Play, For Now
Following Bailey's order, the NCAA released a statement:
"As a result of today's decision impacting Division I student-athletes, the Association will not enforce the year in residency requirement for multi-time transfers and will begin notifying member schools," the statement read.
Those who had their waivers denied or were awaiting decisions were therefore able to suit up on Wednesday night.
"UNLV's Keylan Boone, who started his career at Oklahoma State before transferring to Pacific for a year and then to UNLV, made an immediate impact in his debut for the Runnin' Rebels. Boone came off the bench to score 10 points and grab six rebounds in a 79-64 upset win over No. 8 Creighton," Borzello wrote. "However, the majority of programs kept their newly-eligible players on the bench out of precaution. LSU star guard Jalen Cook, who transferred from Tulane after starting his career in Baton Rouge, was held out of the Tigers' game against Alabama State. UTSA and McNeese held out multiple players who could have been back on the court, while Little Rock's Makhel Mitchell and Southern Miss' Andre Curbelo also didn't suit up."
