A participant in a Canadian main junior hockey league is difficult NCAA eligibility guidelines, including one other sophisticated layer to lawsuits aimed toward dismantling the present framework of faculty athletics.
Braxton Whitehead, who performs for the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats, verbally dedicated to play for Arizona State beginning within the 2024-25 season. Nevertheless, NCAA laws prohibit athletes who’ve acquired fee for his or her athletic talents to have the ability to take part in novice sports activities. That features minor league hockey gamers.
In accordance with ESPN’s Greg Wyshinski, who initially reported the story Friday, it is the primary dedication from a Canadian Hockey League participant since a category motion lawsuit was filed in August towards the NCAA and 10 different faculties in regard to the prohibitive guidelines.
Whitehead, 20, believes that lawsuit will compound with the NIL-focused anti-trust settlement at the moment being revised below course of a federal choose and drive a change within the guidelines.
“I type of hit the lottery with the timing of all that is happening proper now,” he informed ESPN. “I feel [the suit] gave me that further step simply to place myself on the market and check out one thing that is by no means been achieved earlier than.”
The lawsuit, filed by one other Canadian participant, contests that NCAA bylaw 12.2.3.2 — which states: “a person shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics in a sport if the person ever competed on an expert crew” — violates anti-trust regulation.
It additionally claims the NCAA is actively partaking in a “group boycott” of Canadian gamers which “prevents competitors between the CHL and NCAA for top-end gamers and thus artificially suppresses compensation for gamers and artificially creates much less aggressive leagues.”
Whitehead’s resolution to verbally decide to ASU will create a conundrum getting into the official begin of faculty hockey season. Will the NCAA ban Whitehead from competing or sanction ASU for placing him on the ice? Neither the NCAA nor ASU have commented on the state of affairs in keeping with Wyshinski.
The NCAA bylaws on this case pertain particularly to ice hockey because of the nature of tiered skilled leagues and compensation. However the argument could possibly be made that the system is much like that of baseball, the place former skilled gamers have returned to play collegiate sports activities.
Most notably this yr, a former MLB participant is taking part as a freshman in Arkansas’ soccer program. Monte Harris, 29, was drafted out of highschool and performed 10 years {of professional} ball. He is eligible as a result of he by no means performed a sport on the faculty degree.
Neither has Whitehead and he is at the moment prevented from stepping on the ice for ASU. The state of affairs will likely be price monitoring as pucks start to drop in October.
