Ohio Governor Mike DeWine singed an executive order Tuesday that will allow 2022 high school graduates a fifth year of college eligibility.
The order is in defiance of the NCAA's current eligibility rules, but DeWine said the decision was about fairness.
"When the rules change, fairness has to remain part of the equation," DeWine said in a statement. "We want Ohio's student-athletes to have the same opportunity as student-athletes in other states."
Under the order, public and private universities in Ohio can allow athletes to play even though the NCAA's new guidance excludes those who have already played four seasons.
In a letter to the NCAA's member schools, the governing body's president, Charlie Baker, said Tuesday that DeWine "cannot legislate NCAA eligibility rules."
"One elected official seeking to make their own rules for their own schools' advantage is a terrible way to run athletic competitions," Baker said, while also urging Congress to pass the Protect College Sports Act, a sweeping bill aiming to institute guardrails around how colleges pay their players and what those players can and cannot go to court to fight.
In September, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed the Protect College Sports Act in a 72-22 vote that brings the federal bill, aimed at reshaping the college sports industry, one step closer to becoming law.
From there, the bill moves to the House, where it is expected to meet with more opposition from both sides of the aisle. House representatives aren't scheduled to vote on any new bills until after the midterm elections in November.
