COLUMBUS, Ohio — College sports governing body the NCAA went to federal court Friday against Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, challenging an executive order he signed earlier in the week that lets Ohio schools hand a fifth season to athletes from the 2022 high school class.
The association argues the order is unconstitutional, citing the First Amendment among other grounds, and says a governor has no power to let member schools roster players its rules treat as ineligible while keeping their membership. Its filing also contends the order was built to tilt national competition toward Ohio programs.
In a statement, the NCAA described the suit as an extraordinary step and said the order would push Ohio campuses to ignore its rules at the expense of thousands of athletes and schools in other states.
The fight traces to June, when the NCAA moved to a model allowing up to five years of competition. The clock now starts the academic year after an athlete turns 19 or at first full-time enrollment, whichever comes sooner. The association chose not to grandfather the 2022 graduating class, so players from that group who already used four seasons were shut out of a fifth.
DeWine said in his own statement that fairness has to stay part of the picture when rules change, and that he wants Ohio athletes to get the same chance as players elsewhere.
The order lands amid a summer of eligibility lawsuits. The Ohio Supreme Court sided with players this week in a high-profile case, clearing the way for several Ohio-connected athletes at Gonzaga, Cincinnati and Xavier to suit up. Suing a sitting state official is rare for the NCAA; the SEC has a pending eligibility case of its own, aimed at LSU leaders and the attorney general of Louisiana.
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