Zakai Zeigler challenges NCAA's new 5-season model in court fight over eligibility
Lawyers for former Tennessee basketball player Zakai Zeigler filed an amended lawsuit Tuesday using the NCAA's recent sweeping changes to its eligibility rules to bolster their case challenging the association's previous policy of limiting athletes to four seasons in five years. The amended lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for Tennessee's Eastern District cites the new age-based eligibility…
Former Tennessee basketball player Zakai Zeigler has filed an amended lawsuit against the NCAA, challenging the association's new five-season model for eligibility. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for Tennessee's Eastern District, cites the NCAA's recent age-based eligibility rules adopted in June as evidence that the organization had "substantially less restrictive alternatives" available.
The NCAA's Division I Board of Directors approved the new rules in July, despite numerous eligibility lawsuits across the country. Zeigler, who was part of the 2021 class that was initially limited to four years of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, argues that playing a fifth season would have allowed him to earn significantly more money than his current earning potential.
He was not selected in the 2025 NBA draft and has played in France and Germany so far. If successful, the lawsuit could potentially result in damages of up to $12 million.
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