U.S. Department of Justice joins multi-state lawsuit challenging NCAA restrictions on transfers

The NCAA's ongoing legal battle with several states now includes the Department of Justice

By David Cobb Jan 18, 2024 at 4:12 pm ET• 1 min read

The NCAA is now staring down a new legal opponent as the U.S. Department of Justice joined a lawsuit from several states on Thursday challenging NCAA transfer restrictions. At stake is whether the NCAA will be allowed to continue mandating that second-time undergraduate transfers sit out a season before participating in competition.

A U.S. District Court judge issued a temporary injunction in the case on Dec. 13, leading to immediate eligibility for dozens of second-time transfer basketball players around the country. However, the fate of the rule beyond this academic year remains up in the air, pending the outcome of the case.

The NCAA faces a tough battle with the DOJ on board and 11 states now participating in the lawsuit, which asserts the NCAA's transfer rules are "an illegal restraint on college athletes' ability to sell their image and likeness and control their education." A trial date has note been set.