Lincoln Riley blasts NCAA after West Virginia eligibility rulings, DJ Wingfield denial

Two days after USC offensive lineman DJ Wingfield saw his preliminary injunction denied in his eligibility suit, another ruling came down across the country. Four West Virginia players were deemed eligible by a West Virginia district court, paving the way for them to suit up for the Mountaineers this season.

Shortly after Wingfield’s denial, Lincoln Riley expressed his disappointment in the situation. When asked about the West Virginia decision, he called out the differing rulings on eligibility cases.

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Speaking with reporters Thursday via Zoom, Riley cited the different decisions in different states as players seek eligibility. His stance was not just about Wingfield’s situation, but also others “in limbo” across the country.

“I’m a little bit at a loss for words on it, to be honest,” Riley said. “I mean, this is where we’re at right now is that your eligibility depends on what state that you’re in and which judge that you get. We just need to stop ourselves just for a second and think about that. We’ve got a national sport that’s run by a national organization, but your eligibility – which has been a huge question mark for so many people – depends on what state you’re in and what judge that you get and what lawyer that you have on in your trial. It’s sad that it’s gotten to this point, to be completely honest.

“Again, I hate it not just for DJ, but for all the different guys out there that were held in limbo for a long time and the lack of direction given by the NCAA. If this was one person trying to game the system and get an extra year, I understand the stance behind not letting them play. Like, the standards are the standards, that’s it. But look how many guys across the country are in this situation. This is not one misunderstanding, this is not one guy trying to game the system.”

Wingfield challenged the legality of the NCAA’s Five-Year Rule, which contends that players are eligible to play four seasons of competition across five years. The decision to file the lawsuit came after the NCAA denied waivers for a final season of eligibility.

In the West Virginia case, the four players – Jimmori Robinson, Jeffrey Weimer, Tye Edwards and Justin Harrington – also took aim at the Five-Year Rule and argued the NCAA is violating antitrust law by counting years spent at a junior college against eligibility. The suit refers to that rule as the “JUCO penalty” and cited the ruling in Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s case as a reason the players should be able to play this year.

Lincoln Riley calls for blanket waiver

As he weighed the ongoing eligibility lawsuits, Lincoln Riley acknowledged the amount of changes in college athletics recently. He cited the House v. NCAA settlement, as well as NIL rules, and the impact those shifts have had on athletics departments – adding to the uncertainty around the suits.

With that, though, Riley called for the NCAA to do the “right thing” by granting a blanket waiver to those players awaiting eligibility rulings. He reiterated he’s not just looking out for DJ Wingfield, but also others who are looking for answers on whether they can play this season.

“There were questions,” Riley said. “Nobody really knew what was going to happen and this settlement and NIL. All this stuff going on. We understand that there was some indecision on the NCAA’s part about all of this. I get that. There’s also a lot of indecision for these kids and for us as institutions. And you’ve got guys trying to make decisions in December, January, all that, when none of this was even agreed upon. Now, you’ve got all these guys in this situation, and it’s just hard for me to fathom why we wouldn’t do the right thing and have a blanket waiver to let these guys play.

“Again, it’s not one person. You’re talking about a lot of guys across the country, and for it to come down to what state that you’re in, it makes no sense. It’s really frustrating.”

‘The reality is, these kids should play’

As for DJ Wingfield, Lincoln Riley said the offensive lineman is in good spirits despite his denial and attended practice Wednesday. But he further doubled down on his desire for a national standard when it comes to eligibility rules.

“I know it’s really frustrating for the kid,” Riley said. “He’s been awesome. He came out to practice yesterday. It was great to see him. It’s heartbreaking for these guys – and again, not just a guy playing for us. Like I’ve said, this would impact other teams that we’re going to play against.

“But the reality is, these kids should play. There was too much indecision and too much going on and not enough national direction, and now that we’ve got the state-by-state thing, it’s not good for these kids. It’s not a good look for college football. I surely hope that we get it right because these kids don’t get do-overs.”