NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has reached a proposed settlement with the NCAA over its transfer eligibility rule.
The rule required student athletes who transferred between Division I schools to wait a year before competing. The NCAA could make exceptions and waive the rule.
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On Thursday, Stein announced the settlement, which will permanently ease restrictions on athletes who have transferred multiple times and allow them to play immediately after changing teams.
The agreement removes what Stein called an “illegal restraint on athletes’ ability to pursue their best opportunities.”
“Student athletes should have the same freedom that coaches, administrators, and other students have,” Stein said in a statement. “I’m pleased that the NCAA came to the table. Now, every student athlete will be able to make whatever decisions are best for them.”
The NCAA will also issue an additional year of eligibility to certain athletes who were deemed ineligible.
The settlement still needs to be approved by a U.S. district judge.
The agreement ends a civil lawsuit filed over the rule by Stein and attorneys general from six other states.
Stein publicly criticized the transfer rule last year in the case of University of North Carolina wide receiver Devontez “Tez” Walker. The NCAA initially said that Walker was ineligible to play this football season, but later reversed the decision after widespread backlash from the public, from UNC officials, and even North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
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