The federal lawsuit targets Mike DeWine's executive order letting Ohio schools ignore the NCAA's new age-based eligibility rule for the high school class of 2022.
The NCAA filed a federal lawsuit against Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday, days after he signed an executive order allowing the state's public and private universities to let athletes who graduated high school in 2022 play a fifth year despite the NCAA's new eligibility rules. The complaint was filed in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio.
The dispute traces back to the NCAA's eligibility model adopted in June, which gives athletes five years to complete five seasons of competition starting on their 19th birthday or when they enter college, whichever comes first. That change excludes athletes from the 2022 high school class who have already completed four seasons, a gap that has triggered a wave of lawsuits from players left on the wrong side of the new window.
DeWine's executive order responded to that fight by giving Ohio schools the option to disregard the NCAA restriction while legal challenges play out. NCAA President Charlie Baker called the lawsuit a necessary, extraordinary step, arguing the order would make it impossible for schools nationally to compete on a level playing field. The complaint asks a judge to declare the order unconstitutional and unenforceable, citing arguments including the First Amendment and the Commerce Clause.