Florida basketball guard Denzel Aberdeen files injunction for fifth season

Florida basketball senior guard Denzel Aberdeen has filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary injunction to return for his fifth season playing for the Florida Gators. His lawyer, Jesse Panuccio, argued that Aberdeen should be allowed to compete under the NCAA’s 5-in-5 rule. However, the NCAA has exempted Class of 2022 athletes from this policy despite them competing against older seniors who received waivers during the Covid era.

Aberdeen, a member of the Class of 2022, was not grandfathered into the new 5-for-5 rule, which permits college athletes to play for five seasons within five years of eligibility. A Colorado court ruling in favor of Aberdeen and all Class of 2022 athletes granted them an extra year of eligibility, but the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the ruling, pushing the issue back to state courts.

Florida basketball coach Todd Golden voiced support for Aberdeen's pursuit of a fifth year of eligibility, noting that the injunction in Colorado was stayed but that no one has lost. Aberdeen re-enrolled in the spring, and his return would not disrupt the team's roster.