The NCAA sued the governor of Ohio on Friday, accusing him of trying to give college athletes in his state a “hall pass” to circumvent a rule that denies players who graduated high school in 2022 from a fifth year of eligibility.
NCAA President Charlie Baker called the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Ohio, an “extraordinary step” designed to prevent Gov. Mike DeWine from making it “impossible for all schools to compete on a level playing field.”
DeWine issued an executive order Tuesday that undercut the NCAA rule, approved over the summer. That and the NCAA's federal lawsuit in reaction to it marks the latest tit-for-tat in a torrent of legal maneuverings that are creating new rules on a state-by-state basis.
“This whole thing has become comical,” Danny White, the athletic director at Tennessee, said on social media in reaction to the NCAA announcement.
Under DeWine's order, public and private universities in Ohio would be able to allow the Class of ’22 athletes to play, even though the NCAA’s new guidance excludes those who have already played four seasons. The rule, passed in June, is the subject of multiple court fights.
In its court filing, the NCAA said it was trying "to halt a misguided attempt to give Ohio colleges and universities an unfair, unprecedented and unwarranted competitive advantage in stadiums and arenas throughout the country,”
“College sports, like all sports, depend on participants following the rules. (DeWine) is attempting to give Ohio institutions a hall pass to break the rules," the lawsuit says.
In reaction to the governor's move, the Ohio Supreme Court said it would step in and determine the legality of the executive order. As part of that, it paused an appeals court ruling in a case there that had declared the ’22 athletes ineligible. The court asked both sides to file briefs in the case, in which basketball player Filip Borovićanin is the lead plaintiff, by next Monday.
Baker said the NCAA did not believe the Supreme Court's order did, in fact, declare those players immediately eligible to compete and said it would submit arguments in that case.
That case, like others around the country, is becoming more urgent by the day, as it involves a handful of basketball players whose status for the upcoming season is in jeopardy. Among them: Gonzaga transfer Javon Bennett, Cincinnati's MJ Collins and Borovićanin himself, who played in an exhibition against Tennessee on Thursday night after DeWine's order put him back on the eligible list.
The NCAA has long explained that it knew excluding the Class of '22 from the five-year rule would cause those athletes hardship, but the decision was between them and the new class of high school recruits coming into college this year, many of whom would be displaced if the veterans were allowed another year.
Ultimately, the NCAA made its decision based on which move harmed fewer people.
The NCAA lawsuit goes through the history of the rule and the flood of legal actions that have come since. One of the original cases, a federal lawsuit involving basketball player Brock Wisne, is leaning in the NCAA's direction, though victories there have only spawned more lawsuits in state court.
“The results of this second wave of lawsuits were mixed, with the NCAA winning some and losing others,” it said. “But the lawsuits unquestionably destabilized college sports, with ever-more disruptive lawsuits challenging foundational rules at the heart of organized sport.”
During testimony in a similar case in Kentucky earlier this week, an NCAA attorney asked Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey why he was among those looking for Class of '22 athletes when the NCAA rules forbid that.
“From a coach's standpoint, every time the NCAA says something, we all shrug our shoulders and say, ‘Is that going to stand up? Is that a rule?’” Kelsey said. “We don't think there are rules right now. That's why we want guardrails, we want Congress to act, we want the chaos to end. Because nobody knows what the crap is going on. No one.”
The NCAA has long called for a federal law to tamp down on the lawsuits undermining its rules for hundreds of thousands of athletes across the country. The Senate has sent the Protect College Sports Act to the House, where its fate is uncertain in this election year.
FILE - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine talks with former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel while standing on the sideline prior to the start of an NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Kirk Irwin, File)
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV gave strong indications Friday that he was recovering well from lung cancer surgery and was very much in charge of running the Catholic Church, speaking on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting with top aides and celebrating Mass in a makeshift hospital chapel.
The Vatican said that during the call with Putin, “the Holy Father expressed his deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance, and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population.”
The statement added that Leo “reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promoting dialogue and peace.”
The statement was significant, showing Leo was well enough to conduct official diplomatic business from the Gemelli hospital, was keeping up with world events and was continuing to promote his message of peace as he recovers from surgery.
Also Friday, the Vatican released the first images of Leo since his lung cancer surgery Oct. 13, showing him standing up at the altar in green vestments, as doctors said that tests confirmed his “continued improvement.”
The 71-year-old Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.
“His post-operative recovery allows him to carry out his normal daily activities completely on his own,” said a medical update signed by Leo’s personal physician Dr. Luigi Carbone and the head of thoracic surgery at Gemelli, Dr. Stefano Margaritora.
Leo presided alone over the liturgy, distributing Communion to medical personnel and Vatican gendarmes present, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said. He also delivered a homily in which he thanked the hospital staff “for the work they do every day taking care of the sick in their fragility, and in a particular way what they had done for him,” Bruni said.
Bruni confirmed Leo would deliver the traditional noontime Angelus prayer on Sunday, but it wasn't clear whether he would do it from the hospital or back at the Vatican.
The Vatican had originally estimated a weeklong hospital stay, and had cancelled his audiences through Tuesday. Bruni said the pope’s doctors would decide if there were any changes expected to his discharge date.
But with Leo’s homily Friday thanking hospital personnel who had cared for him, there might be little reason for him to stay if he was medically ready for discharge.
Even as questions swirled about the future of Leo's young pontificate, there were signs Friday that it was all systems go. The Vatican published the names of journalists accredited to fly on Leo’s plane with him during his Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Leo’s ability to make the trip has been in question since his diagnosis, and the Vatican can change the plans at any time. But the posting of the media list signaled that at least on an organizational level, the trip was going ahead.
Doctors are still awaiting the results of tests to understand the precise molecular and genetic makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the lobe and whether any further treatment is necessary.
The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said Friday he understood Leo's recovery was going well, “so we're happy.”
Parolin was considered a leading contender in the conclave that elected Leo and was recently passed over as dean of the College of Cardinals. He surprised some by suggesting Thursday that Leo's pontificate itself might need to be “adjusted” as a result of the cancer. It was a bold statement coming from Parolin, given the indications that Leo was recovering well.
On Friday, Parolin seemed to roll that back. Asked what he meant, Parolin said “adjust on the basis of his health conditions,” at least “with respect to this next trip.”
Parolin spoke to reporters outside a conference at the Sacred Heart University, of which the Gemelli hospital is part.
Though Parolin was nearby, there were no signs Parolin visited Leo as might be expected.
The Vatican said two other top cardinals did call on the pope instead Friday: Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the pope's vicar for Rome, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who was recently elected dean of the College of Cardinals, a position that many had thought would go to Parolin, 71. Leo confirmed Tagle in the job two days before announcing his surgery.
Associated Press visual journalist Trisha Thomas contributed to this report.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
This picture, released by Vatican Media on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, shows Pope Leo XIV celebrating Mass at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where he is recovering after having cancer removed from his right lung. (Vatican Media via AP)
This picture, released by Vatican Media on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, shows Pope Leo XIV, flanked by his personal secretary, Monsignor Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga, left, celebrating Mass at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where he is recovering after having cancer removed from his right lung. (Vatican Media via AP)
A woman holds photos of Pope Leo XIV as she prays at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The moon rises behind the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Leo XIV is hospitalised, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where he's expected to be operated to remove a lung nodule. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
An image of Pope Leo XIV is seen under the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
An image of Pope Leo XIV is seen under the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
