Ex-players granted restraining order enter portal
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- Eight former college football players entered the NCAA transfer portal by Thursday afternoon, one day after a Louisiana court granted them a temporary restraining order against the NCAA.
- The named plaintiffs: TJ Harden (SMU), Dae'Quan Wright (Ole Miss), Weylin Lapuaho (BYU), Zxavian Harris (Ole Miss), Trent Hendrick (James Madison), Ethan Johnson (App State), Blake Cotton (Utah), and Luke Drzewiecki (New Mexico).
- The restraining order enjoins the NCAA's April 'ghost transfer rule' — which penalized programs adding transfers after the January window with a 50% season head coach suspension and 20% football budget fine — and the NCAA's rule of restitution, allowing plaintiffs with pro contracts to return if they terminate deals and repay money received.
- Sixteen college football players were among more than 30 plaintiffs in the case, with a court date scheduled for Aug. 31 in Louisiana's 19th Judicial District Court; plaintiffs were given a one-week portal entry window outside the regular Jan. 2-16 transfer period.
- Dae'Quan Wright remains on the Cleveland Browns' roster, while TJ Harden was cut by the Seattle Seahawks on Monday after appearing in their preseason opener against Dallas, and Zxavian Harris was waived by the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 8.
- Remaining plaintiffs face career crossroads: former LSU defensive end Jack Pyburn logged two sacks in his Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason debut, and former Ole Miss defensive back Wydett Williams Jr. has played in two Arizona Cardinals preseason games.
Why it matters: The TRO effectively freezes the NCAA's 'ghost transfer' enforcement for these plaintiffs, giving 16 college football players a path to a fifth year — but only if they walk away from current NFL roster spots or repay signing money. With Wright still active on the Browns' roster and an Aug. 31 hearing that could broaden or limit the injunction, the case directly threatens the NCAA's April penalties against programs and head coaches.
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