Carter Loflin reached the U.S. Amateur Championship semifinals earlier this month, where he lost 1-up to England’s Jack Whaley on the 18th. Although he earned a bronze medal for his run, his courtroom battle against the NCAA is proving to be much tougher.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Loflin, who is enrolled at Terry College of Business, is suing the NCAA to gain another season of eligibility and return to the Georgia golf team. And he even took the stand at an Athens courtroom on Friday as his attorney, Nik Erramilli, sought a temporary restraining order against the NCAA.
The order would allow Loflin to return to the Bulldogs, who opened their season Monday in a tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee. Erramilli told Western Circuit Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard that Georgia’s roster needs to be finalized by Sunday, August 30.
However, Haggard did not issue a ruling Friday and said attorneys should not expect one by August 30. He pointed out that the case was not assigned to him until Tuesday, while the NCAA did not respond until Thursday night.
“I’m more interested in a ruling that follows the law, and there’s a lot of law here that I need to be comfortable with,” Haggard said. “A lot is still happening in other jurisdictions that I will look at.”
For now, Loflin’s bid to continue his amateur career remains in limbo. Meanwhile, the 22-year-old’s attorney told the Athens Banner-Herald that he will continue making efforts to get “something done sooner.” However, when the judge questioned Loflin, he indicated that the golfer could still join the roster if the ruling goes in his favor, even if it comes after August 30.
Loflin, of course, competed in his fourth season, so according to the NCAA’s old eligibility system, this was supposed to be his last. However, the NCAA introduced a new 5-for-5 eligibility model, allowing athletes to play five seasons within five years. The catch is that the NCAA decided that 2022 high school graduates would not be eligible for the additional season.
Athletes from earlier COVID-affected classes received extra eligibility, while athletes entering college in 2023 can take advantage of the new 5-for-5 model. Loflin believes that is unfair.
“Carter is a University of Georgia student who has been unfairly discriminated against by bylaws that took effect Aug. 1,” Erramilli told the judge.
“When his career ended, his eligibility ended,” NCAA’s attorney Dough Minor told the judge. “He’s making a claim that the NCAA has breached an agreement that it never was a party to.”
In the meantime, Loflin has been back with the Georgia team for the past two weeks and even competed in qualifying for the upcoming tournament. He claimed that he did that because a Colorado district judge’s preliminary injunction gave eligibility to 2022 athletes. However, the NCAA managed to gain a stay on that ruling, pushing Loflin’s amateur pursuit toward failure.
“The tide has turned,” Minor added. “Several of the most recent pronouncements…support the NCAA’s position.”
Loflin’s lawyer argued that courts across the country have already questioned the NCAA’s decision to deny athletes from the 2022 high-school class an additional season of eligibility. He pointed to cases in Ohio, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Louisiana, as well as the ongoing Godfrey vs. NCAA case involving former Georgia and Clemson basketball player R.J. Godfrey.
Erramilli also pointed to former Georgia safety JaCorey Thomas, who was granted a temporary restraining order by a Dallas court, allowing him to play and enter the transfer portal despite the NCAA’s eligibility stance. Loflin’s attorney argued that allowing his client to play would not cost any current Georgia player a roster spot.
However, being denied another season could affect Loflin’s chances of earning automatic exemptions into certain professional tours. The NCAA’s attorney, meanwhile, argued that allowing Loflin to play would cause “extreme harm,” potentially taking opportunities away from high school athletes and affecting the distribution of NIL payouts.
That being said, it appears Carter Loflin may have to suffer a defeat on the courtroom floor. However, nobody knows what the future has in store for the 22-year-old.