Breaking: TRO Issued For 14 Days Against NCAA’s Transfer Rules, Battle Eligible

West Virginia Judge John Preston Bailey issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA’s transfer eligibility rules for the next 14 days. This ruling makes WVU G RaeQuan Battle eligible but another hearing on the injunction is set for Dec. 27.

The ruling allows all multi-time transfers to play, eliminating the waiver process for now. To add, the NCAA can’t retroactively punish any of the student-athletes or teams involved.

Battle (WVU Basketball), Maddox Kopp (Miami-OH Football) and Jamille Reynolds (Cincinnati Basketball) testified to the stand as witnesses. Each of the three student-athletes told their story about transferring and why it impacted them. Battle mentioned his former coach Danny Sprinkle leaving Montana State to take another job. Kopp mentioned that Deion Sanders took over the Colorado program, sending guys to the transfer portal. Reynolds talked about how he did not feel safe while at Temple. All three student-athletes are multi-time transfers and thought their reasons were justified enough to receive a transfer waiver from the NCAA.

WVU G RaeQuan Battle Testifies in TRO Hearing vs. NCAA

Last Thursday, it was announced by Ohio AG Dave Yost that seven states were filing a lawsuit against the NCAA to challenge their transfer eligibility rules. West Virginia is joining the states of Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee.

Yost led the way for the seven states on the suit. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey put out a press release announcing that the state was joining in on the lawsuit.

“The NCAA’s transfer policy, for far too long, has been flawed. The Association has failed to maintain a consistent and defensible transfer rule,” Morrisey said in the press release last week.

“Real issues are at stake here for the citizens of West Virginia, and they implicate my duties as the state’s chief antitrust officer,” Morrisey added. “The NCAA also failed to recognize the underlying issues involving RaeQuan and many other student athletes in similar situations—there’s no reason for the NCAA to deny this young man the ability to play the sport he loves and that helps him with his mental health.”

Battle is eligible to play starting Saturday against UMass in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Battle could join Kerr Kriisa in guards returning to the floor for WVU.