Oakland basketball star Brody Robinson is suing the NCAA for an extra season of eligibility, per Tony Paul of the Detroit News. Robinson is seeking an emergency temporary restraining order along with a preliminary injunction in order to play a fifth season of college basketball.
According to the Detroit News, the suit was filed by Robinson’s layers in the Oakland County Circuit Court last week. The TRO was granted by a judge on Friday and now, a Zoom hearing is scheduled for April 6 — which is one day before the NCAA transfer portal opens.
According to the suit, Robinson’s lawyers are arguing their client is a victim of “inconsistent eligibility rules.” They state that by not being granted an extra year, he could miss out on up to half a million dollars in NIL compensation.
Notably, Robinson has played four seasons of college basketball. The caveat? He played one year at the JUCO level. His lawyers argue that the JUCO season shouldn’t count.
His attorneys cited the case of Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia — who sued the NCAA to play a sixth season of college football last fall. He played two years at the JUCO level, but with one of those seasons giving him a COVID waiver, he was eventually granted his preliminary injunction.
Following the ruling, the NCAA issued a blanket waiver for 2025-26 that granted an extra year to athletes who previously “competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years” and otherwise would have exhausted their NCAA eligibility following the 2024-25 season.
Robinson’s teammate at Oakland, Michael Houge, used this to play his sixth season of college basketball at Oakland this past year.
However, Robinson’s lawyers believe it’s unfair to strip that from athletes this season. If he isn’t granted his preliminary injunction, it would mean his college basketball career is over.
Robinson averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 assists (10th in the country) per game for the Golden Grizzlies this season. The Houston native has played for Chattanooga and UT Arlington during his DI career.