Justice Department Joins in Transfer Eligibility Lawsuit vs. NCAA

On Thursday night, the Justice Department announced that they’re joining in on the multi-state lawsuit vs. the NCAA that challenges the transfer eligibility rules. In December, Judge John Preston Bailey ruled that all multi-time transfers would be eligible to play immediately without a waiver, as he extended the TRO until the end of the spring sports season.

The Justice Department says that the rules denies athletes educational opportunities. Now they’ll join 10 states, including West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia in the lawsuit.

“We are proud to stand with our state law enforcement partners on behalf of college athletes across the nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “NCAA Division I institutions compete with each other not just on the playing field or in the arena, but to recruit and retain college athletes. College athletes should be able to freely choose the institutions that best meet their academic, personal and professional development needs without anticompetitive restrictions that limit their mobility by sacrificing a year of athletic competition.”

This becomes a step closer to student-athletes having unlimited transfers during their college eligibility. The college basketball transfer portal window will open up in March for 45 days after Selection Sunday while football will have one more small window during spring ball.