The NCAA has persuaded a U.S. appeals court to reject an order that the association said could erode distinctions between student and professional athletes.
As reported by Reuters, a panel of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on Wednesday to overturn a lower decision that said football player Nyzier Fourqurean could compete for the University of Wisconsin beyond his fourth year of eligibility under the NCAA's player restrictions.
"At an earlier hearing in Fourqurean’s case, the appeals court struggled over where and how to draw a line that would limit the years a student can play sports," Scarcella wrote for Reuters. "A lawyer for the NCAA told the court that the eligibility rule was necessary to ensure that college students play college sports, and then move on and make way for a new group of student-athletes."
Fourqurean’s attorney, Michael Crooks, told the panel that his client’s case seeks “meaningful exceptions” to the NCAA's five-year rule, and not to overthrow the limit entirely.
Fourqurean’s lawsuit is part of a growing number of legal challenges that seek to loosen player eligibility rules, Scarcella reported.
