Oakland U basketball star's bid for extra season dealt major blow in court
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A star Oakland basketball player's bid to secure a fifth season of eligibility took a major hit Friday when an Oakland County judge denied Brody Robinson's request for a preliminary injunction in his case against the NCAA.
Robinson filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking the extra season, arguing his one season of junior-college basketball shouldn't count toward his eligibility window.
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Robinson, a point guard, argued in a court filing earlier this month that an extra year of eligibility could earn him $500,000 or more in NIL money, likely by transferring away from Oakland, and he was granted a temporary restraining order April 6. But in a virtual hearing Friday, with Robinson's legal team and representatives from the NCAA participating, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge David Cohen denied the preliminary injunction, according to online court records.
There have been dozens of similar cases filed against the NCAA this year, with a mixed bag of results, but more preliminary injunctions being denied than granted.
David Russell, Robinson's lawyer of Lansing-based Foster, Smith, Collins & Smith, didn't respond to a request for comment Friday. He has previously declined to comment publicly on the lawsuit.
The News reached out to the NCAA for comment Friday, and hadn't heard back as of Friday night.
Robinson, 22, has played four years of college basketball, including three years of Division I ball, at three different universities. The latest was Oakland University, in 2025-26, when he averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 assists as a top point guard at the mid-major level. He finished 11th in Division I in assists.
His lawyers cited the lawsuit brought and won by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavio before the 2025 season. He had played five seasons, two at the JUCO level, and he won his case. He went on to become a Heisman Trophy finalist. After that ruling, the NCAA issued a blanket waiver saying for the 2025-26 athletic calendar, past JUCO seasons wouldn't count toward an eligibility window, but that waiver was for that year only.
Robinson attempted to get Oakland athletic officials to file a waiver request with the NCAA for an extra year on his behalf, but Oakland declined to submit the waiver. Athletic director Steve Waterfield wrote in an email to Russell that the university couldn't submit the waiver "in good faith," given the NCAA's decision on the matter.
So Robinson, while continuing to work out at Oakland and eyeing the transfer portal, went the lawsuit route to get a resolution during the narrow spring portal window, from April 7-21.
Waterfield has declined to comment on the matter to The News.
More:Spring transfer portal tracker: Here's the latest on local basketball players
Robinson, a Texas native, began his college career at Division I Chattanooga for a year, then transferred to Garden City Community College in Kansas, where he also played one year. He then transferred back to Division I for one year at UT-Arlington and then one year at Oakland. In his lawsuit, he reported earning "significant" NIL compensation at UT-Arlington and Oakland, but the lawsuit didn't provide specific figures, citing privacy laws.
College athlete eligibility rules have been fluid since COVID, which led to an extra year of eligibility of all players affected by the pandemic. With redshirt seasons and medical redshirt seasons, there are athletes who've been in college for seven years, while the NCAA attempts to reestablish uniform eligibility rules — currently, five playing seasons in a five-year window, regardless of the level (Division I, Division II, Division III, JUCO, etc.) — in an era where extra years can mean significant money for many athletes, in this day and age of NIL and the transfer portal.
The NCAA has faced scores of lawsuits in the past couple years, winning some and losing some. Among its most notable defeats was to Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who led Ferris State to the 2024 Division II national championship before transferring, and leading Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff.
Chambliss, a Grand Rapids native, sat out two seasons and played two seasons at Ferris State before transferred, and argued to the NCAA that one of his sit-out seasons was due to a medical condition. The NCAA wasn't satisfied with supporting evidence from Ferris State and denied his waiver, but he was granted a preliminary injunction and the Mississippi Supreme Court denied the NCAA's appeal late last month, paving the way for Chambliss to play again in 2026 and potentially earn $5 million or more in NIL money.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Oakland U basketball star's bid for extra season dealt major blow in court