Ohio judge to decide NCAA age‑eligibility lawsuit next week

Judge Christopher Wagner of Ohio will issue a written order on July 9 in response to a preliminary injunction request filed by 24 men’s and women’s college basketball players. The athletes allege that the NCAA’s newly adopted age‑based eligibility model unfairly bars them from a fifth season of competition.

The NCAA’s Division I Cabinet approved a rule that allows athletes five seasons of competition over a five‑year period that begins with full‑time enrollment or the academic year after a player’s 19th birthday, eliminating most waivers except for religious missions, pregnancy, or active‑duty military service and ceasing extensions for injuries. Players whose eligibility expired in spring 2026 under the prior four‑year model will not be granted a fifth year. Similar lawsuits are pending in other states. The NCAA said it is aware of the legal challenges and “we do not intend to change course.”

Quotes from filings include: “When each plaintiff completed their fourth season of competition during the 2025‑26 academic year, they had every reason to know it was the end of the line and time to make way for the next generation of college athletes,” and “Each plaintiff was harmed each time he or she competed in a basketball game against a fifth or sixth‑year player without being offered the same opportunity to compete in a fifth season themselves.”