Judge denies Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar’s injunction bid to remain eligible
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar’s bid for an injunction that would have enabled him to continue playing for the Volunteers this fall was denied on Friday by a Knox County Chancery Court judge.
Aguilar was arguing that he should be allowed a fourth year of playing Divisional I football rather than having the years he spent in junior college count against his eligibility. Chancellor Christopher D. Heagerty instead dissolved the temporary restraining order he had granted in the case on Feb. 4 and denied Aguilar’s request for an injunction.
Aguilar played at Diablo Valley (California) Community College from 2021-22 before transferring to Appalachian State, where he spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Aguilar then transferred to Tennessee and completed 67.3% of his passes for 3,565 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this past season.
He also redshirted at City College of San Francisco in 2019 before the 2020 season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Although Aguilar has been invited to next week’s NFL draft scouting combine, he had filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in an attempt to return to Tennessee to play one more season.
Heagerty said the factors Tennessee courts consider before deciding to grant a temporary injunction are the threat to irreparable harm to the plaintiff if an injunction isn’t granted, the balance between this harm and any injury that granting the injunction would inflict on the defendant, the probability the plaintiff would succeed on the case’s merits and the public interest.
Heagerty noted that Aguilar’s lawyers pointed out the quarterback could lose $2 million to $3 million in name, image and likeness opportunities by not playing. But the judge also pointed out that granting an injunction “could cause sweeping implications and cause significant ambiguity and uncertainty regarding the eligibility rules of the NCAA.”
While Aguilar’s lawyers said an injunction would apply only to their client, Heagerty believed granting an injunction “could impact much broader issues and have a much more far-reaching effect than the plaintiff suggests.”
Heagerty also said the evidence before the court at this time indicated Aguilar “has a low likelihood to succeed on the merits of his claim.”
“The NCAA is thankful for the judge’s decision today, which demonstrates the court’s consideration of eligibility standards and protecting access to the collegiate experience for current and future student-athletes,” the NCAA said in a statement. “We will continue to defend the NCAA’s eligibility rules against attempts to circumvent foundational policies and hinder fair competition to all student-athletes. The NCAA is making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes and will continue to work with Congress to provide stability for all college athletes.”
The Aguilar ruling comes a week after a Mississippi judge granted Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss a preliminary injunction that could enable him to play for the Rebels this fall. Chambliss has been in college for five years, but he was healthy enough to play just three years.
Of the 57 eligibility lawsuits that have been filed across the country, 31 preliminary injunctions have been denied and 12 have been granted. Seven of the injunctions that were granted came in state courts.
Another five eligibility lawsuits are still pending in lower courts, and nine were voluntarily dismissed before a decision was reached on a preliminary injunction.
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