The NCAA announces a major change to eligibility rules for Division I athletes. The new rules aim to reduce chaos in college sports since athletes gained the right to earn money and transfer without penalty. Athletes will now have five seasons of competition over five years, starting with full-time enrollment or the academic year after their 19th birthday. Waivers for injuries or redshirt years will mostly end, except for specific cases like religious missions or military service. The changes aim to stabilize rosters and simplify rules after legal battles over revenue sharing and transfers.
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The NCAA adopted a new eligibility model for Division I athletes allowing five seasons of competition over a five-year period beginning upon initial college enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The Division I Cabinet approved the change from the longstanding tenet of college sports that gave athletes five years to complete four seasons of competition with their eligibility clock starting at the time of enrollment, regardless of age. It eliminates waivers for extended eligibility except for pregnancy, religious missions or active-duty military service. No longer will extensions be considered for athletes who are injured.