Federal judge grants immediate eligibility to any athletes seeking multi-transfer waiver
Federal judge John Preston Bailey has temporarily given college athletes seeking a multi-waiver transfer immediate eligibility after a hearing Wednesday at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Wheeling, West Virginia.
The next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 27.
Attorneys general in 7 states – West Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina and Tennessee – filed a lawsuit last week challenging NCAA transfer rules, claiming they violate antitrust laws.
The player at the center of the issue is West Virginia basketball player RaeQuan Battle, who transferred to West Virginia after previous stints at Washington and Montana State. His attempt to play immediately after the second transfer was denied by the NCAA.
Here is a transcript of Judge John Preston Bailey’s decision regarding the 14-day temporary restraining order in Ohio vs NCAA: pic.twitter.com/g4JOSIBjXc
— Justin Williams (@Williams_Justin) December 13, 2023
In Battle’s separate suit against the NCAA, he claimed his waiver should be allowed because NCAA transfer guidelines include whether a player’s mental health would be enhanced by the transfer. Battle, who grew up on a reservation in Washington, said WVU interim coach Josh Eilert, who also grew up on a reservation, helps with his mental health because of their shared backgrounds, per The Intelligencer.
As far as RaeQuan Battle is concerned, Judge Bailey said:
“I really don’t have enough information or enough time to consider Mr. Battle’s personal case. I will defer ruling on that until such time as aI rule on the preliminary injunction in two weeks” https://t.co/h6uyDHsMdA
— Wesley Shoemaker (@wesleyshoe) December 13, 2023