Judge Rejects NCAA Request to Pause Nationwide Injunction for 2022-23 Athletes

U.S. District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney denied the NCAA’s bid to stay her injunction that lets athletes who finished eligibility in spring 2023 return for another season.

Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney refused to grant the NCAA a stay of her earlier nationwide injunction, which permits athletes who completed four years of play by spring 2023 to return for a fifth season. She said the league’s latest arguments merely recast positions she had already dismissed, and that the NCAA’s own eligibility rules caused the current turmoil. About a dozen athletes, including basketball players Brock Wisne, Aidan Shaw and Cade Tyson, argue that barring them from another season violates antitrust law because they could earn name-image-likeness and revenue-sharing income.

The NCAA contends that allowing these veterans back would displace freshmen and other recruits, potentially reshaping roster composition. While the judge left the injunction intact, she has not yet ruled on whether the order forces changes to transfer rules. The association can now request a stay from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit as it pursues an appeal. The decision could affect roster limits and spark further legal challenges from displaced players.