headtopics
Arizona forward RJ Godfrey has taken a surprising legal route in his ongoing fight for NCAA eligibility. Rather than suing the NCAA directly, Godfrey and his attorneys filed suit on Thursday in Pima County Superior Court against the Arizona Board of Regents, seeking a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and permanent injunction to gain eligibility.
The complaint hinges on a bylaw in the NCAA's 2026-27 manual that does not provide an exception for members of the class of 2022. This mirrors the approach many players have used to obtain eligibility, including Godfrey's previous attempt in Georgia, where the Georgia Court of Appeals granted the NCAA's stay request. However, instead of targeting the NCAA, Godfrey's legal team is turning the NCAA's own language against it—specifically the provision that individual member institutions determine eligibility.
They are asking the Arizona Board of Regents and the University to clear Godfrey as eligible based on the NCAA's manual, seeking an order "requiring the University to perform its own contractual obligations." The NCAA is not named in the filing but could still choose to weigh in on this unique strategy.
The case has been assigned to Judge Jeffrey Bergin, who serves as Presiding Judge of Pima County and is a double-graduate of the University of Arizona, holding both undergraduate and law degrees from the institution.
Key Analysis
This novel approach makes it difficult to predict how Judge Bergin will rule—and what will happen if the Arizona Board of Regents is legally forced to declare Godfrey eligible. The filing directly accuses the Board of breach of contract and asks nothing of the NCAA. If the Board clears Godfrey, the NCAA cannot appeal a lawsuit it is not involved in, and the Board seems unlikely to appeal against its own starting power forward. Should the TRO or injunction be granted, this could prove to be a game changer in the ongoing 5-for-5 eligibility battles.
Godfrey, a 6'8 forward, played last season at Clemson, where he averaged 12.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. He is a rugged, physical rebounder and an ideal fit in coach Tommy Lloyd's system. Adding him to Arizona's starting five alongside Mo Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov would dramatically alter the team's floor and ceiling.
Originally reported by headtopics.