Charleston, W.Va. (WTRF) – The ongoing battle between the NCAA and WVU basketball over the eligibility of transfer guard RaeQuan Battle has taken a major step.
The NCAA had determined that Battle would be ineligible to play this season after announcing his intent to transfer from Montana State. Battle was hailed as one of the top 10 transfer portal steals of the offseason, averaging 17.7 points and helping the Bobcats earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey sent a letter to the NCAA on Monday, urging them to reverse their decision.
Morrisey says that in the era of NIL, in which college athletes are able to make money, forcing a player to sit for a year prevents them from earning an income, which he thinks triggers the state’s anti-trust laws.
“We think that that does raise certain issues from an anti-trust perspective because we know that in this situation, and we think in other cases, that it would fail the anti-trust test in terms of how this organization, the NCAA, is applying their own rules and whether there are anti-competitive impacts that emerge.”
Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia Attorney General
As Attorney General, Morrisey is charged with enforcing the state’s laws, including anti-trust laws, which is why his office decided to get involved. Morrisey also says that people care a lot about the integrity of sports.
He has asked for a response to his letter from the NCAA by next Monday. There is also an appeals process headed by WVU that is going on concurrently with Morrisey’s efforts.
Stay with 7NEWS for updates.
