Dallas Judge Blocks SEC From Forbidding Athletes’ Return

On Thursday, a judge in Dallas issued an order that bars the NCAA, the SEC and its commissioner, Greg Sankey, from preventing a group of athletes from returning to college sports for an additional season. The ruling directly limits the conference’s power to impose bans on the players in question. By prohibiting any such stoppage, the decision allows the athletes to resume competition without further administrative intervention. The order does not address the underlying reasons for the potential ban, but it ensures that the athletes can continue their collegiate careers for the upcoming season. The ruling is a rare judicial check on conference authority in the NCAA system.