Former football players from Duke and North Carolina are pursuing additional eligibility from the NCAA due to injuries, ailments, and personal challenges that disrupted their playing careers. Ryan Smith and Tre'Shon Devones from Duke, along with J.J. Jones from UNC and Cam Bergeron from Duke, filed lawsuits in Durham County Superior Court on April 3. They aim to challenge the NCAA's policy requiring athletes to complete four years of eligibility within a five-year window, citing potential lost earnings ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 under the current rules allowing athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness.
Their cases are scheduled for a hearing on April 22 in North Carolina Business Court, where they argue that the NCAA and member schools have engaged in anti-competitive practices by restricting exemptions to the five-year rule and limiting athletes from realizing their full potential. This legal action follows a similar lawsuit filed in February by former N.C. State football player Corey Coley Jr. in U.S. District Court in North Carolina. The NCAA defends its eligibility rules, including the five-year limit, as essential for fair competition and broad access to the opportunities of being a student-athlete, despite ongoing efforts to modernize college sports.