The group of Huskies are working to get another year of eligibility.
In a sign of the times, a group of former University of Connecticut football players are part of a new lawsuit against the NCAA.
Why? To try to gain an extra year of eligibility under the NCAA's new "age-based eligibility" protocol.
So far, the lawsuit includes former athletes from Syracuse, Sacramento State, Utah State and UConn. There are five former Syracuse lacrosse players on the suit, but there is no word how many of the remaining athletes are from UConn. Syracuse.com had the nugget about UConn's connections.
There are other suits against the NCAA as well, and there's no word yet on when any of these suits will be resolved.
Here's what you need to know:
What is the age-based eligibility model?
Sometimes called the '5-in-5' rule, this rule gives a player five years to play five seasons in their sport, from the time they enroll in college, or after their 19th birthday, whatever comes first.
For instance, an athlete who goes the traditional US path from high school to college, would get five years to play five seasons.
Should a player sit out, get injured, or redshirt, they are not given an extra year. They will just have four more years of eligibility remaining.
However, if a player enters college after the age of 19, like many Division I hockey players do, they will actively be using up college eligibility before arriving on campus. A player who gets injured in this case, will also reduce their eligibility as there is no medical redshirt available.
General view of a Connecticut Huskies helmet during the first half against the Marshall Thundering Herd at Brooks Stadium. David Yeazell-USA TODAY SportsWhen does this take affect?
It takes affect now, and players entering college this academic year are now subjected to these rules. Players who were previously in college and are returning to school this year are being phased in and will get the benefit of the new rule, as long as it helps them. Clearly, the Class of 2026 graduates feel they were unfairly left out of this rule.
Do we know which UConn football players are suing for this?
Not at this time.
Could any other UConn players sue for this as well?
Sure! Of course they could, but some of the more prominent recent UConn alums like Azzi Fudd, Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. seem content in their pro careers.
In the case of players who have already signed pro contracts, they'd have to rescind their contracts, we'd assume. That is the case for the Syracuse lacrosse players, all five of who have appeared in PLL games thus far this summer.
