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10/16 10:31 CDT NCAA sues Ohio governor over his executive order allowing
schools to ignore new eligibility rule
NCAA sues Ohio governor over his executive order allowing schools to ignore new
eligibility rule
By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer
The NCAA filed a federal lawsuit against Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday, three
days after he signed an executive order giving the state's universities the
option of allowing athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 to play a
fifth year in defiance of the organizations's new eligibility rules.
NCAA President Charlie Baker said the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Ohio,
was an "extraordinary step" designed to prevent DeWine from taking a step that
would make it "impossible for all schools to compete on a level playing field."
Under the order, public and private universities in Ohio can allow the Class of
'22 athletes to play, even though the NCAA's new guidance excludes those who
have already played four seasons. The rule, passed in June, is the subject of
multiple court fights.
"This Complaint seeks to halt a misguided attempt to give Ohio colleges and
universities an unfair, unprecedented and unwarranted competitive advantage in
stadiums and arenas throughout the country," the introduction to the lawsuit
reads. "College sports, like all sports, depend on participants following the
rules. (DeWine) is attempting to give Ohio institutions a hall pass to break
the rules."
DeWine's move was the latest in what has become a daily digest of legal
maneuverings that are creating new rules on a state-by-state basis.
In reaction to the governor's move, the Ohio Supreme Court said it would step
in and determine the legality of the executive order. As part of that, it
paused an appeals court ruling in a case there that had declared the '22
athletes ineligible. The court asked both sides to file briefs in the case, in
which basketball player Filip Borovicanin is the lead plaintiff, by next Monday.
Baker said the NCAA did not believe the Supreme Court's order did, in fact,
declare those players immediately eligible to compete and said it would submit
arguments in that case by Monday.
