By Emma Delk, The Intelligencer
WHEELING, W.Va. — College student-athletes unable to play in games due to the NCAA’s transfer rules will be able to compete for the next 14 days due to a federal judge’s ruling Wednesday in Wheeling. U.S. District Court Judge John Preston Bailey granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, barring the association from enforcing a rule barring student-athletes who have transferred multiple times to play immediately at their current school.
Bailey also prohibited the NCAA from enforcing its rules of restitution for the next 14 days.
When Charleston attorney Ben Bailey, who was representing the NCAA on Wednesday, asked for clarification on the decision, Judge Bailey responded, “The only thing I am saying is that you can’t make a player sit out a year for these 14 days.”
The next hearing on this matter will be held at 10 a.m. Dec. 27 at the federal courthouse in Wheeling. At that hearing, Judge Bailey will consider the states’ motion for a preliminary injunction to extend the order until a full trial can be held.
In a statement released Wednesday, the NCAA said it would not enforce the year-in-residency requirement for multiple-time transfers.
This ruling has a direct effect on West Virginia University’s men’s basketball team. Both RaeQuan Battle and Noah Farrakhan had been prohibited from playing this year after the NCAA denied their transfer waiver requests.