Zakai Zeigler Suing The NCAA For Additional Year Of Eligibility; But This Lawsuit Has A Twist

Former Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler suing NCAA for additional year.

Zakai Zeigler has decided to sue the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility at Tennessee, but with a twist. 

As we've seen with other cases, like Diego Pavia, athletes have been going after the NCAA due to the fact they played a year of JUCO, which plaintiffs have claimed should not count towards their eligibility clock. In the case of Pavia, he won an additional year, using NIL as one of the reasons why he should've been granted another season. 

In the case of Zakai Zeigler, he has decided to go after the NCAA in a different manner. In his filing. lawyers representing the former Tennessee guard say that the NCAA's rule that permits four seasons of eligibility within the five-year window is an unlawful restraint of trade under federal and state antitrust laws. 

Meaning, Zakai feels as though he should have five seasons of eligibility, even without using a redshirt season. 

"The Four-Seasons Rule functions as a horizontal agreement among competitors—NCAA member institutions—to restrict output in the labor market for Division I athletes. In the post-Alston NIL-compensation era, this rule has significant commercial impact by systematically removing the most experienced and valuable participants from the market," part of the lawsuit reads. 

YOU CAN READ THE FULL LAWSUIT BY CLICKING HERE.

Zakai Zeigler Trying To Use ‘Redshirt’ Argument In Half-Court Lawsuit

In the suit, lawyers claim that Zakai Zeigler would make anywhere between $2 to $4 million dollars next season in NIL funds. This is the avenue they've decided to take, given that they believe these rules on eligibility violate antitrust laws. 

"This restraint is even more anticompetitive when viewed in conjunction with the NCAA’s redshirt system. When an athlete redshirts, they do not compete in games for a year but remain an active member of the program. During this non- competition year, the institution still extracts substantial value from the athlete, who practices with the team, contributes to teammates’ development, may appear in promotional materials, and generates merchandise sales. Importantly, redshirting athletes typically earn NIL compensation during their redshirt year, meaning they can monetize their name, image, and likeness for all five years of the eligibility window."

Right now, the Tennessee roster has one spot still open, which many around Knoxville were speculating would go to Jordan Gainey, if the NCAA decided to address the five-year rule. 

The problem for Zeigler is that he has already played four seasons of basketball, which is what the NCAA allows under their current rules. Currently, you receive five years to play four seasons. 

Now, Zakai is taking a different approach that we haven't seen before in a lawsuit against the NCAA, given that he is using the ‘redshirt’ excuse in his lawsuit. 

Clearly, the rules have been in place for a very long time, and this is obviously a half-court heave at the buzzer for him to be granted an additional year. 

But, put this case in front of a friendly East Tennessee judge, and who knows what could happen. 

Written by
Trey Wallace is the host of The Trey Wallace Podcast that focuses on a mixture of sports, culture, entertainment along with his perspective on everything from College Football to the College World Series. Wallace has been covering college sports for 15 years, starting off while attending the University of South Alabama. He’s broken some of the biggest college stories including the Florida football "Credit Card Scandal" along with the firing of Jim McElwin and Kevin Sumlin. Wallace also broke one of the biggest stories in college football in 2020 around the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations against Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Wallace also appears on radio across seven different states breaking down that latest news in college sports.