Zakai Zeigler Suing The NCAA For Additional Year Of Eligibility; But This Lawsuit Has A Twist

Zakai Zeigler has decided to sue the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility at Tennessee, but with a twist. 

As we've seen with other cases, like Diego Pavia, athletes have been going after the NCAA due to the fact they played a year of JUCO, which plaintiffs have claimed should not count towards their eligibility clock. In the case of Pavia, he won an additional year, using NIL as one of the reasons why he should've been granted another season. 

In the case of Zakai Zeigler, he has decided to go after the NCAA in a different manner. In his filing. lawyers representing the former Tennessee guard say that the NCAA's rule that permits four seasons of eligibility within the five-year window is an unlawful restraint of trade under federal and state antitrust laws. 

Meaning, Zakai feels as though he should have five seasons of eligibility, even without using a redshirt season. 

"The Four-Seasons Rule functions as a horizontal agreement among competitors—NCAA member institutions—to restrict output in the labor market for Division I athletes. In the post-Alston NIL-compensation era, this rule has significant commercial impact by systematically removing the most experienced and valuable participants from the market," part of the lawsuit reads. 

YOU CAN READ THE FULL LAWSUIT BY CLICKING HERE.

In the suit, lawyers claim that Zakai Zeigler would make anywhere between $2 to $4 million dollars next season in NIL funds. This is the avenue they've decided to take, given that they believe these rules on eligibility violate antitrust laws. 

"This restraint is even more anticompetitive when viewed in conjunction with the NCAA’s redshirt system. When an athlete redshirts, they do not compete in games for a year but remain an active