Ole Miss Trio Sues NCAA for 5th Year Eligibility
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- Former Ole Miss players Dae'Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris and Wydett Williams joined 30+ other athletes in a Louisiana state court lawsuit against the NCAA on Wednesday, securing a temporary restraining order that could let them return to college for a fifth season if released by their NFL teams.
- Three plaintiffs — Wright, Williams and former Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson — are currently on NFL rosters (Browns, Cardinals, Seahawks respectively) and must be released by September 1 to join a college roster under the order, according to attorney Ryan Downton.
- The NCAA's June eligibility rule change extended competition to five seasons within a five-year window but excluded outgoing seniors; plaintiffs argue this breaches the NCAA's "covenant of good faith," part of a wave of lawsuits from more than 100 athletes this summer.
- Federal Judge Charlotte Sweeney issued the most significant restraining order on July 31 in the Wisne v. NCAA class action, allowing all athletes who started in 2022-23 to play a fifth season — a ruling NCAA chief legal officer Scott Bearby called "egregious" in a memo to schools.
- The NCAA has appealed Sweeney's ruling and won an earlier appeal in the Borovicanin v. NCAA case in Ohio; an appeals court is expected to rule on Wisne in the coming days, per Boise State sports law expert Sam Ehrlich.
- Zxavian Harris, a 6-foot-8, 330-pound defensive tackle, recorded 58 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 3 sacks as an SEC starter for Ole Miss last season before being waived by the Saints in August due to a foot injury.
Why it matters: The NCAA's June decision to exclude outgoing seniors from its new five-year eligibility rule is being dismantled court by court, with more than 100 athletes now suing. For three NFL-roster plaintiffs, the September 1 release deadline forces an immediate choice between pro contracts and a return to college.
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