Court grants temporary restraining order, clearing way for West Virginia players to suit up in 2025

A West Virginia district court has granted a temporary restraining order that will allow a handful of players to suit up and play for the Mountaineers in 2025. The decision came down on Wednesday afternoon.

According to a report from Sam C. Ehrlich, the court granted a temporary restraining order for Jimmori Robinson, Jeffrey Weimer, Tye Edwards and Justin Harrington. It allows them to play this fall.

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However, Vernon Bailey of On3 reported on Tuesday that Robinson would be unable to play for West Virginia even if granted the temporary restraining order. The NCAA’s attorney informed the court of that news in a hearing.

“The NCAA will either later today or tomorrow advise Mr. Robinson that he is academically ineligible because he did not complete the six hours that were necessary at the University of Texas San Antonio,” the attorney said. The attorney also stated that a waiver had been filed on Robinson’s behalf but was denied.

“The NCAA has made a decision that the waiver will be denied so Mr. Robinson is not in the position to have his eligibility restored by a ruling from this court and the NCAA believes the fact that he’s academically ineligible is an independent basis to deny his request for relief here today.”

It’s unclear if the court issued a particular ruling on Robinson Wednesday in light of the academic eligibility point; Ehrlich points out the order seems to stipulate that he is also granted eligibility. So that will require further clarification.

Regardless, the news is still a big benefit to West Virginia and first-year coach Rich Rodriguez. It will give the Mountaineers some additional firepower going into the year.

The complaint, filed by the players on August 1, went well beyond typical eligibility arguments. It asserted that the NCAA was violating antitrust law by penalizing athletes who began their careers at junior colleges or other non-NCAA schools, a set of rules the suit refers to as the “JUCO Penalty.”

The filing said the plaintiffs relied on public guidance issued by the NCAA last December that appeared to loosen those restrictions. Instead, they alleged the waiver process remained arbitrary and selectively enforced.

The district court in West Virginia agreed, granting the temporary restraining order. That clears the way for the players to play this fall.

On3’s Vernon Bailey also contributed to this report.