(The Center Square) \u2013 The NCAA on Friday sued Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in federal court after the governor issued an executive order earlier this week giving Ohio colleges and universities the option to expand the eligibility options for some student-athletes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn June, the NCAA adopted a new eligibility model, giving all otherwise eligible student-athletes up to five years of competition,\u201d DeWine said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Under the new rules, eligibility starts the academic year after a student turns 19 or when first enrolled full-time in college, whichever comes first.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the NCAA\u2019s implementation guidance, however, student-athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 and have already completed four seasons of competition are denied a fifth season,\u201d DeWine said.<\/p>\n
The controversy is over fairness, DeWine said,<\/p>\n
“When the rules change, fairness has to remain part of the equation,” DeWine said. “We want Ohio’s student-athletes to have the same opportunity as student-athletes in other states.”<\/p>\n
The NCAA said Friday it took the \u201cextraordinary\u201d step of suing DeWine because the order would give Ohio schools an advantage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis action was necessary following the governor\u2019s issuance of an executive order that attempts to compel Ohio colleges and universities to ignore NCAA eligibility rules to the disadvantage of thousands of student athletes and institutions across the country,\u201d the NCAA said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit cited several constitutional violations in DeWine\u2019s order, including the First Amendment by \u201cpurporting to provide Ohio institutions with legal cover to maintain their NCAA membership while simultaneously flouting the NCAA\u2019s rules. The Executive Order is unlawful because Governor DeWine lacks the authority to permit Ohio colleges and universities to disregard the rules they have agreed to follow by rostering ineligible student-athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n
DeWine declined to comment on the lawsuit, his spokesman, Dan Tierney, told The Center Square.<\/p>\n