Zakai Zeigler, SEC's 2-time defensive player of year, suing NCAA to play 5th season in 5 years
Zeigler's lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The point guard played four seasons at Tennessee, helping the Volunteers to consecutive Elite Eight berths before graduating earlier this month.
The Vols went 109-36 during Zeigler's time with the school. Zeigler was a third-team All-American this season, which ended with Tennessee's loss to eventual national runner-up Houston in the Elite Eight on March 30.
'We have requested a preliminary injunction to allow Zakai to compete in the upcoming season while pursuing his graduate studies,' according to a statement from the Garza Law Firm and Litson PLLC. 'We look forward to a swift resolution of this matter so that Zakai can begin preparing for next season.'
The NCAA said in a statement the association fully supports athletes profiting from name, image and likeness along with other benefits and is working for such reforms, which includes a proposed $2.8 billion settlement of an antitrust lawsuit.
'A patchwork of different state laws, executive orders and court opinions, make it challenging for any league to operate on a fair playing field, including at the conference level and that's why partnering with Congress to develop a national standard would provide stability for student-athletes and schools everywhere,' the NCAA said.
This latest lawsuit against the NCAA notes Zeigler 'diligently completed his undergraduate degree in four years' and graduated this month. That makes Zeigler's lawsuit different from athletes who started careers at junior colleges or lower-division NCAA schools and are seeking a fifth season.
Yet the NCAA rule limiting athletes to four seasons during a five-year window keeps Zeigler from playing a fifth season and earning NIL money in 'the most lucrative year of the eligibility window for the vast majority of athletes,' according to the lawsuit.
Athletes who redshirt or take five years to finish an undergraduate degree can earn NIL money each of their five years. The lawsuit also points to the NCAA's redshirt system controlling who gets access to a fifth year of eligibility.
The lawsuit asks that the NCAA rule be declared a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act and Tennessee's Trade Practices Act.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Rookie Agustín Ramírez hits two solo homers as the Marlins beat the Yankees 2-0
MIAMI (AP) — Rookie Agustín Ramírez homered twice for the only runs of the game and the Miami Marlins beat the New York Yankees 2-0 on Saturday. Eury Pérez pitched six innings of two-hit ball as the Marlins won their fourth straight and clinched the series against the Yankees following Friday's 13-12 series-opening win. After experiencing problems with his pitchcom device that caused three brief delays in the first inning, Pérez (4-3) struck out six and walked three in his 88-pitch outing. Relievers Ronny Henriquez and Tyler Phillips followed Pérez with perfect innings before Calvin Faucher retired the three batters he faced in the ninth for his 11th save. Miami has won six consecutive series and is 29-14 since June 13. The Marlins struck quickly when Ramírez connected off Yankees starter Cam Schlittler in the first. Ramírez drove a fastball 421 feet into the left-center field seats for his 16th homer. Ramírez hit another solo drive against Schlittler (1-2) in the fourth. Making his fourth major league start since being promoted from Triple-A on July 9, Schlittler allowed two runs and four hits while striking out six in five innings. Saturday's announced attendance of 34,645 surpassed the Marlins' previous season-home high of 32,299 in Friday's opener against New York. Key moment Pérez struck out Ryan McMahon and retired Anthony Volpe on a groundout after he allowed a one-out double to Ben Rice and walked Paul Goldschmidt in the fifth. Key stat Marlins left fielder Kyle Stowers had his sixth assist of the season when he threw out Trent Grisham at the plate as he attempted to score from second on Giancarlo Stanton's single in the first. Up next RHP Luis Gil will make his season debut when he starts the series finale for the Yankees on Sunday. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year has been sidelined since spring training because of a lat strain. The Marlins will go with RHP Edward Cabrera (4-5, 3.35). ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tarik Skubal and AL Central-leading Tigers outduel Zack Wheeler and Phillies 7-5
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — All-Star starter Tarik Skubal won his first game since June and Javier Baez homered, doubled and knocked in four runs as the Detroit Tigers beat the Philadelphia Phillies and ace Zack Wheeler 7-5 on Saturday. Skubal (11-3) limited the Phillies (62-48) to three runs and five hits over seven innings while striking out 10. He struck out six of the first seven batters he faced, and didn't relent until the seventh. With AL Central-leading Detroit ahead 5-0, Bryce Harper opened with a single, J.T. Realmuto knocked him in with a double before Nick Castellanos golfed a two-run homer to center, cutting the Tigers' lead to two runs. Baez added a two-run double in the eighth, but Harper (three hits) negated that with a two-out, two-run shot — his 18th of the season — off reliever Will Vest. But, Detroit's Kyle Finnegan finished off the Phils with a four-out save. Wheeler (9-5) took the loss, allowing solo home runs by Colt Keith and Kerry Carpenter in the third inning, then a two-run shot by Baez in the seventh. Keith and Wenceel Perez each had three hits for the Tigers (65-47). Key moment The Phillies threatened in the sixth when Weston Wilson hit a pitch off the top of the fence for a double, the Phillies' second hit of the game. But with two outs, Kyle Schwarber hit a sky-high foul pop that Tigers left fielder Riley Greene grabbed via a long-distance sprint and brilliant sliding catch. Key stat Wheeler gave up a season-high three home runs to the Tigers. The only time he had allowed more than one in a game was on July 12 in San Diego when the Padres hit a pair in a 5-4 victory. Up next The series concludes Sunday with Detroit veteran RHP Charlie Morton (7-8, 5.42 ERA) taking on the Phillies' lefty Cristopher Sanchez (9-3, 2.55). ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Rory McIlroy lone omission from FedEx St. Jude commitment list
The field for next week's playoff opener in Memphis will have one fewer competitor than expected. Rory McIlroy will not play. The PGA Tour released Friday the commitment list for the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which is reserved for the top 70 players in points following the Wyndham Championship. McIlroy currently ranks second in the FedExCup, so he's mathematically clinched his position in the 30-man Tour Championship, let alone the 50-man BMW Championship. With McIlroy's omission, 69 players will compete at TPC Southwind starting on Thursday. There are no alternates for playoff events. The final few spots will be finalized after the Wyndham, with the expectation of a couple players moving in and out of the top 70. McIlroy finished second-to-last at last year's playoff opener in Memphis, which came after his T-3 the previous season. This will be the fourth notable tournament McIlroy has skipped this season, following signature events The Sentry, RBC Heritage and Memorial Tournament. Despite having not teed it up since The Open and logging just 14 starts this season, McIlroy is set to collect $10 million on Sunday evening, $6 million via the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 and another $4 million from the restructured FedExCup bonus payout.
