A participant in a Canadian main junior hockey league is difficult NCAA eligibility guidelines, including one other difficult layer to lawsuits aimed toward dismantling the present framework of faculty athletics.
Braxton Whitehead, who performs for the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats, verbally dedicated to play for Arizona State beginning within the 2024-25 season. Nevertheless, NCAA laws prohibit athletes who’ve obtained cost for his or her athletic skills to have the ability to take part in novice sports activities. That features minor league hockey gamers.
In response to ESPN’s Greg Wyshinski, who initially reported the story Friday, it is the primary dedication from a Canadian Hockey League participant since a category motion lawsuit was filed in August in opposition to the NCAA and 10 different faculties in regard to the prohibitive guidelines.
Whitehead, 20, believes that lawsuit will compound with the NIL-focused anti-trust settlement at present being revised beneath path of a federal choose and power a change within the guidelines.
“I type of hit the lottery with the timing of all that is happening proper now,” he informed ESPN. “I believe [the suit] gave me that further step simply to place myself on the market and take a look at one thing that is by no means been carried out earlier than.”
The lawsuit, filed by one other Canadian participant, contests that NCAA bylaw 12.2.3.2 — which states: “a person shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics in a sport if the person ever competed on knowledgeable group” — violates anti-trust legislation.
It additionally claims the NCAA is actively partaking in a “group boycott” of Canadian gamers which “prevents competitors between the CHL and NCAA for top-end gamers and thus artificially suppresses compensation for gamers and artificially creates much less aggressive leagues.”
Whitehead’s choice to verbally decide to ASU will create a conundrum coming into the official begin of faculty hockey season. Will the NCAA ban Whitehead from competing or sanction ASU for placing him on the ice? Neither the NCAA nor ASU have commented on the scenario based on Wyshinski.
The NCAA bylaws on this case pertain particularly to ice hockey because of the nature of tiered skilled leagues and compensation. However the argument could possibly be made that the system is just like that of baseball, the place former skilled gamers have returned to play collegiate sports activities.
Most notably this 12 months, a former MLB participant is collaborating as a freshman in Arkansas’ soccer program. Monte Harris, 29, was drafted out of highschool and performed 10 years {of professional} ball. He is eligible as a result of he by no means performed a sport on the faculty stage.
Neither has Whitehead and he is at present prevented from stepping on the ice for ASU. The scenario might be value monitoring as pucks start to drop in October.
