Joey Aguilar's TRO shows NCAA is losing control of eligibility enforcement

Aguilar and his representation decided to file the TRO in the Knox County Chancery Court on the state level. This has become a popular option for athletes seeking an extra year of eligibility. State courts read the NCAA rules differently and also provide sympathy to certain athletes. The NCAA has preferred to file cases in federal court rather than state court because federal courts are more likely to apply the same set of standards to rule on cases. In an in-state court, each case could be ruled upon differently, and as little power as the NCAA has had in the NIL era, it faces losing even more. 

The NCAA may reach a point where it has to ask for federal legislation to try to get the college sports world back under control. Even that would put the NCAA at risk. The federal government could write legislation that further limits the NCAA's ability to enforce rules, or even worse, create a new oversight body that ends the NCAA. 

There is no doubt that with this successful ruling, more athletes will seek an extra year of eligibility. It may be time for the NCAA to modify its rules to a more pro-style model. The athletes at this moment are more than amateurs, but the NCAA is stuck imposing decisions based on an old, outdated model that has lost steam since the beginning of the NIL era. This is just another example of authority lost by the NCAA.