Although the legalese of Nyzier Fourqurean's eligibility case with the NCAA is rather complicated, he earned a second small victory when it comes to him returning to play for the Wisconsin Badgers this season. On Monday, Aug. 25, Wisconsin district judge William Conley denied a motion set forth by the NCAA to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Fourqurean in the vein of an antitrust claim. But wait, there is more!
Fourqurean's claim of antitrust has everything to do with the NCAA dictating terms on the amount of years a college football player can play at the Division I level after having played at a lower level before. Think about what all went on with Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia getting another year of eligibility after having played one season at junior college. Fourqurean played at Grand Valley State...
Conley also requested more information on Fourquerean's case from his camp. He needs to respond by Sept. 16. But most importantly, he reserved a ruling on a request for a preliminary injunction. This means if Fourquean is able to supply the court with what it needs for a preliminary injunction, he can be eligible to play as soon as Aug. 29. No, he will not play on Thursday night, so maybe in Week 2?
Mark Stewart of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel did a fantastic job of explaining what is going on.
How soon could Nyzier Fourqurean be able to return to the Badgers?
In laymen's terms, this preliminary injunction would normally allow for Fourqurean to play in Week 1. However, since the Badgers' 2025 college football season begins on Thursday, Aug. 28 vs. the Miami RedHawks, Fourqurean will now have to wait until Week 2 to play. If all goes according to plan, Fourqurean could be playing in Week 2 vs. the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Saturday, Sept. 6.
With Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell having gone to bat for him, Fourqurean seeming to get the benefit of the doubt from Conley is another huge plus. Clearly, he is of the belief that some of the factors in Fourqurean's antitrust claims seem to be valid. Let it be known that if Fourqurean did not file for a preliminary injunction that he would have been sidelined until his case was heard on Oct. 20.
Again, this seems to be in line with how the courts ruled in favor of Pavia getting one last year of eligibility at Vanderbilt. Although Fourqurean played in a combined 24 games at Grand Valley State from 2021 to 2022, the chances of him getting a third year in Wisconsin's secondary seems to be opening up. To date, Fourqurean has played in 24 games for Wisconsin since coming over in 2023.
Overall, the fact that Fourqurean is not being immediately crossed off for a fifth year of eligibility only serves his chances of getting one last ride in Madison. A lot is riding on Fickell this season. Yes, he may have gotten a big extension, but the results have not been up to standard the last two years since coming over from Cincinnati. Wisconsin came up one game short of making it to a bowl game...
Ultimately, if the guy really wants to play for Wisconsin, and the courts see that way, then by all means, let him play! Ever since the COVID season, eligibility has been a nebulous subject. The day and age of players having to sit out for a season due to transferring are over. Since not everyone can turn pro in sports, why should the feckless NCAA get in the way of a player's overall livelihood here?
Although Fourqurean is not playing on Thursday, look for him to suit up vs. Middle Tennessee now.