NCAA Prevails in Appeal of Football Players’ Eligibility Lawsuit

The NCAA convinced an appellate court to overturn a ruling that allowed four West Virginia University football players to compete in the 2025-26 season.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in a Friday opinion held that a lower court wasn’t stringent enough in its analysis of the players’ challenge to whether junior college years count toward the NCAA’s five-year eligibility rule.

“The district court’s apparent failure to apply the proper method of analysis alone weighs in favor of reversal because the lower court improperly reduced the Players’ burden of proof,” the opinion by Judge Henry F. Floyd ...