“He was in school for a min”: College hoops fans react as Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler’s preliminary injunction for eligibility gets denied

Tennessee Volunteers guard Zakai Zeigler finished his fourth year in college this past season. He had his best season yet, averaging 13.6 ppg but hoped to return for a fifth season. However, Zeigler sued the NCAA on May 20 over its rules limiting him to four seasons as an unlawful restraint of trade under both federal and Tennessee laws.

If successful, the lawsuit would have allowed Zeigler to return to Tennessee for a fifth season despite not missing significant time from injuries. However, on Thursday, a federal judge denied Zeigler's request for a preliminary injunction. This was reported by On3.

Fans reacted to this news in the comments on Instagram.

"He was in school for a min," one fan wrote.

"Good Tf He Keep Tryin Play College Ball For Anyway ?" one fan commented.

"Never had a case, good," one fan added.

Fans continued to react in the comments.

"I love how people are hating on him for trying to play one more year but Diego pavia can do the same thing and they praise him," one fan wrote.

"I mean, good. This is the first win the NCAA has had in a while. No hate towards the young man, he’s trying to get his. But college eligibility is 4 years, with some exceptions for legitimate reasons. Time to move on, clear the way for other young men trying to get their’s," one fan commented.

"All these people saying “time for him to get a job” sounds so silly. He’s got a degree from the university of Tennessee, and he’s a 2X DPOY in the SEC. Keep hating from the couch fellas," one fan added.

Image via the comments of the Instagram post.

A federal judge explains why Zakai Zeigler's request for a preliminary injunction was denied

Zakai Zeigler's request for a preliminary injunction was denied on Thursday morning. U.S. District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer listened to arguments at a hearing on Friday before coming to a decision on Thursday. She explained that he was denied because Zeigler failed to show that he would succeed in his argument to the NCAA to grant him a fifth year of eligibility.

"This Court is a court of law, not policy," Crytzer wrote in a statement. "What the NCAA should do as a policy matter to benefit student athletes is beyond the reach of the Sherman Act and TTPA and by extension, this Court."

Zakai Zeigler has not indicated if he will try to pursue other avenues to earn another year of eligibility.