NCAA, states reach agreement to permanently allow multiple-transfer athletes to compete

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The NCAA and a coalition of states suing the organization announced a proposed settlement of a lawsuit Thursday that would allow athletes to be immediately eligible to play no matter how many times they transfer and give them an extra year of eligibility.

Under the agreement, a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in West Virginia in December allowing multiple-transfer athletes to compete would be made permanent. Judge John Preston Bailey still would have to sign off on the pact.

Thursday’s agreement comes a month after the NCAA Division I Council fast-tracked legislation that was ratified by the Division I Board to fall in line with Bailey’s preliminary injunction.

Under the agreement, the NCAA would be required to grant an additional year of eligibility to Division I athletes previously deemed ineligible under the transfer eligibility rule since the 2019-20 academic year.

“We’ve leveled the playing field for college athletes to allow them to better control their destinies,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. “This long-term change is exactly what we set out to accomplish.”

In a statement, the NCAA said the agreement “is just one of the many ways the Association is delivering more benefits to student-athletes, increasing flexibility and making impactful reforms.”

Athletes still would be required to meet academic requirements to maintain eligibility. Transfer windows, which are sport-specific, remain in place and require undergraduate athletes to enter their names into the portal at certain times to be immediately eligible at a new school. Graduate students already can transfer multiple times and enter the portal outside the windows while maintaining immediate eligibility.

The agreement would prevent the NCAA from retaliating against member institutions and athletes who challenge the rule or support those who do. This includes safeguarding student athletes’ rights to compete during legal proceedings without fear of punishment from the NCAA.

In addition, the NCAA would be barred from undermining or circumventing its provisions through future actions that could threaten athletes’ rights and freedoms, according to the agreement.

The federal court in West Virginia’s northern district would maintain jurisdiction to enforce its terms and resolve any disputes that may come up, according to the agreement. The lawsuit had been scheduled for a jury trial next year.

The U.S. Department of Justice, which joined the lawsuit in January, was involved in the settlement. Besides Ohio, other states securing the agreement were Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.