A Dallas County judge issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday that bars the NCAA, the Southeastern Conference and commissioner Greg Sankey from blocking 41 athletes from returning to college sports for the 2026-27 season.
District Judge Martin Hoffman signed the order after a hearing attended by the NCAA. Plaintiffs include Dallas Cowboys receiver Jordan Hudson, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, and Chiefs receiver Omari Evans, all listed on NFL rosters.
Two athletes who signed WNBA contracts this summer, Christeen Iwuala and Bailey Maupin, are also named.
The ruling is the first to restrain a Power conference after the SEC and the other Power leagues this week banned schools from using athletes who previously signed professional contracts. The SEC added a half-season coach suspension and a fine equal to 50 percent of that sport’s operating budget.
15 of 16 member schools supported the sanctions. LSU abstained.
Hoffman restrained the NCAA and SEC from using eligibility rules to keep the plaintiffs out because they have already competed four seasons. He wrote that as long as they would have been eligible the following semester with a fifth year, they are eligible today.
The order lasts 14 days, with a hearing set for Sept. 11. The NCAA must open the transfer portal for one week for this group. The conference bans followed earlier court orders that allowed some athletes who had been in NFL camps to seek a fifth season, including players LSU has pursued.
Whether schools will roster them while the bans remain unsettled is unclear.
