Louis Moore filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, arguing that his three years at Navarro Junior College should not impact the organization’s eligibility rules.
According to ESPN, Moore, a safety for Indiana University, cited “potential losses in earnings of around $400,000 from NIL deals” in his lawsuit. Moore has started games at both Ole Miss and Indiana, and now seeks an exemption from the NCAA’s five-year rule.
In an early victory, the judge in the case, Dale Tillery, granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, so Moore can participate in practice for the next two weeks. Said Tillery, “There is evidence Moore will be harmed irreparably if he is not able to join the Indiana football team.” An injunction hearing is scheduled for Aug. 27, 2025. At that time, the judge will determine if Moore is eligible to play in the 2025-26 football season.
Related: Rutgers Recruit Sues NCAA Over Five-Year Rule and $500K NIL Deal
“They're like a broken record," Moore’s attorney, Brian P. Lauten, told ESPN. "They keep making the same argument but expecting a different outcome. The NCAA is on the wrong side of this issue. ... It violates the Sherman Antitrust Act and they keep making the same argument expecting a different result when what they should be doing is saying, 'All right, now that some people are getting to play because our legal arguments don't hold water, we need to have a uniform rule that makes it fair to everyone.'"
Moore played for the Hoosiers in 2022 and 2023, then transferred to Ole Miss for the 2024 season. He entered the transfer portal again in December of 2024, hoping that he would qualify for an additional year because of the COVID-19 season. He applied for a waiver through the NCAA, which was denied.
“Restricting junior college eligibility at non-NCAA schools basically penalizes the student athlete for not going to an NCAA school,” Lauten said. “And [it] also penalizes the junior college because their athletes are dissuaded from coming there.”
