NCAA sues Ohio governor over eligibility order

The NCAA has sued the governor of Ohio over an executive order that allows schools to ignore a new eligibility rule.

The dispute

The lawsuit challenges the executive order’s effect on schools in Ohio. Under the order, schools may disregard the NCAA’s new eligibility rule.

The NCAA’s filing places the organization and Ohio’s governor on opposite sides of the question of which requirement schools should follow. The order concerns eligibility, but the record described here does not identify the rule’s specific requirements or the governor’s stated reasons for issuing it.

What the lawsuit means

The case gives a court a role in deciding whether the executive order can allow Ohio schools to set aside the NCAA rule. The lawsuit itself does not change the order unless a court takes action in the case.

Schools affected by the dispute face competing directives: the NCAA’s new eligibility rule and the governor’s order allowing schools to ignore it. The outcome will determine how the conflict is handled for Ohio schools.

What comes next

The NCAA’s lawsuit will proceed through the court system. Court action in the case will show whether the executive order remains in effect and how schools must handle the eligibility rule while the dispute continues.