UCLA redshirt senior transfer Kaedin Robinson filed a lawsuit against the NCAA Tuesday, challenging a league eligibility ruling that would bar the wide receiver from competing in the upcoming college football season. Robinson alleges the rule itself violates federal antitrust laws.
The wide receiver’s legal team asserts the eligibility rule is unlawful “because it has substantial anticompetitive effects on two-year or junior colleges and universities that are excluded from NCAA membership,” per the 19-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division.
Appalachian State entered Robinson in the transfer portal Jan. 3 and he committed to DeShaun Foster’s Bruins Jan. 12, but the wide receiver’s eligibility waiver was denied March 14. He was expected to have one more season of eligibility under the NCAA’s “Five-Year Rule,” which currently allows players who played in junior or two-year colleges an extra eligible season.
“The eligibility rule at issue is unlawful because it has substantial anticompetitive effects on two-year or junior colleges and universities that are excluded from NCAA membership,” the complaint reads.
The Five-Year Rule could change in the near future, as college sports leaders consider adjusting eligibility to eliminate redshirts, waivers and other exemptions, but Robinson doesn’t have time to wait. The wide receiver played NJCAA football for ASA Brooklyn in 2019 but did not compete in the 2020 fall season for the Avengers. He entered the NCAA in 2021 on the UCF Knights’ roster before transferring to Appalachian State, where he’s remained for three years.
However, an injury last season meant Robinson only appeared in nine games as a senior — he didn’t technically play a full year. Despite the injury, he led the Mountaineers in receptions (53) and yards (840) while catching two touchdown passes. His 93.3 receiving yards per game were No. 2 in the Sun Belt Conference and No. 10 nationally.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Since Robinson’s collegiate football career began in 2019, he’s played one junior college season, three full NCAA seasons and nine games.
According to the lawsuit, Robinson is seeking “immediate and permanent injunctive relief, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs to enjoin and redress the NCAA’s enforcement.”
Essentially, he’s aiming for reinstatement of his eligibility and financial compensation for the legal resources used to address the situation. His legal team is also seeking punitive damages, which would be awarded if the court finds the NCAA’s behavior to be “especially harmful.”
If the court rules in the NCAA’s favor, Robinson will lose a $450,000 NIL contract and UCLA’s offense, which also added Tennessee quarterback transfer Nico Iamaleava, will lose a strong receiver.