KNOXVILLE — A federal judge has denied University of Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler’s request for a preliminary injunction allowing him to play a fifth season of NCAA Division I basketball in five years.
U.S. District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer listened to arguments during a hearing in Knoxville last Friday and entered her denial Thursday morning. She wrote that Zeigler failed to demonstrate he would likely succeed on his argument that the NCAA keeping him from playing a fifth season of Division I basketball is an antitrust violation under the Sherman Act and the Tennessee Trade Practices Act.
“This Court is a court of law, not policy,” Crytzer wrote in her order denying the injunction. “What the NCAA should do as a policy matter to benefit student athletes is beyond the reach of the Sherman Act and TTPA and by extension, this Court.”
The two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year asked for an injunction when he sued the NCAA on May 20 over its rules limiting him to four seasons in a five-year window as an unlawful restraint of trade under both federal laws and Tennessee state laws.
His lawsuit argues he could earn from $2 million to $4 million with another season of college basketball, which the 5-foot-9, 172-pounder from Brooklyn, New York, has said he would use by returning to the Volunteers, who have reached the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight the past two seasons. Zeigler’s attorneys made clear in a statement released Thursday that this is only a first step in his legal fight.
“We are disappointed the Court declined to grant a preliminary injunction on the basis that the NCAA does not directly control NIL compensation, just days after the House settlement confirmed they would do exactly that,” the statement from Litson PLLC and the Garza Law Firm read.
“This ruling is just the first chapter of what we believe will ultimately be a successful challenge. We intend to press forward and are evaluating the best path ahead for Zakai.”
The judge wrote that the harms Zeigler argues he would suffer can be addressed with a future damages award.
She also noted the “fixed number of roster spots” for each Division I basketball team and that “an injunction would run the risk of harming currently enrolled players committed to a university and current high school seniors being recruited.”
The NCAA argued in its brief before the hearing that Zeigler’s injunction request should be denied because he is asking the court to make him the first athlete in history to play a fifth season in five years in Division I “as a matter of right.”
During the hearing, the judge asked Zeigler’s attorneys to file a quick brief answering whether or not Zeigler is an “intercollegiate athlete” as defined under state law and what legal standard applies to his claim under the TTPA.
ACC/SEC Challenge set for Dec. 2-4
Dates and pairings have been set for the annual ACC/SEC Challenge for men’s and women’s basketball teams.
The 2024-25 season will mark the third edition of the interconference competition after the Atlantic Coast Conference and the SEC split 14 meetings each in men’s and women’s competition two years ago and the SEC finished with a 14-2 edge in men’s games and a 10-6 advantage in women’s games this past December, when the event expanded after the SEC added Oklahoma and Texas to its membership.
Because the ACC has 18 members for basketball, two of its schools must sit out every year.
This season, the men will play Dec. 2-3 and the women on Dec. 3-4, a Tuesday to Thursday stretch.
Men’s games on Dec. 2 are Florida at Duke, Georgia at Florida State, Miami at Ole Miss, Missouri at Notre Dame, North Carolina at Kentucky, Oklahoma at Wake Forest, Tennessee at Syracuse, Texas A&M at Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech at South Carolina. Men’s games on Dec. 3 are Clemson at Alabama, Louisville at Arkansas, LSU at Boston College, Mississippi State at Georgia Tech, N.C. State at Auburn, SMU at Vanderbilt, and Virginia at Texas.
Women’s games on Dec. 3 are Auburn at Syracuse, Georgia at Florida State, Georgia Tech at Texas A&M, Kentucky at Miami, N.C. State at Oklahoma, Tennessee at Stanford, and Virginia at Vanderbilt. Women’s games on Dec. 4 are Arkansas at SMU, California at Missouri, Clemson at Alabama, Florida at Virginia Tech, LSU at Duke, North Carolina at Texas, Notre Dame at Ole Miss, Pittsburgh at Mississippi State, and South Carolina at Louisville.
Matchups will be televised across ESPN’s platform, including each league’s network, with specfic TV listings and times for all ACC/SEC meetings revealed later.
