Oakland star basketball player suing NCAA for extra year of eligibility

Oakland University star basketball player Brody Robinson, one of the top point guards at the mid-major level after finishing 11th nationally in assists this past season, now is asking for an assist from the courts. Robinson's lawyers filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Oakland County Circuit Court last week, seeking an emergency temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction that would allow him to play one additional season, his fifth overall, of college basketball. Robinson's lawyers, in the court filing, argue that Robinson is a victim of inconsistent eligibility rulings, and that an extra year of eligibility could be worth $500,000 or more in NIL compensation, either at Oakland or another Division I school.

If declared eligible for a fifth season, and fourth at the Division I Level, Robinson certainly would be a sought-after target on the transfer market. The transfer portal window opens April 7. Robinson, 22, has played four seasons of college basketball, including one at the junior-college (JUCO) level, and three at Division I, capped by the 2025-26 season at Oakland, with whom he averaged 17.

6 points and 6. 7 assists . The NCAA currently allows athletes to complete four seasons of playing in a five-year window, but Robinson's attorneys are arguing his single season of JUCO ball shouldn't count, and cites a number of recent court decisions as precedent.

The prominent case cited by Robinson's attorneys, including David Russell of Lansing-based Foster, Smith, Collins & Smith, was the suit brought by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia against the NCAA before the 2025 season. Pavia had played five seasons, two at the JUCO level, though one was in the COVID waiver window. Pavia was granted eligibility through a court order to play in 2025, a sixth season, fourth at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.