Vanderbilt Quarterback Restraining Order Denied After Recent NCAA Lawsuit
Diego Pavia, the quarterback of the Vanderbilt Commodores, has had his temporary restraining order against the NCAA denied on Tuesday.
The news came down from a ruling today from Judge William Campbel after Pavia filed a lawsuit against the NCAA this past Friday with the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee.
Cambell explained his reasoning for denying the restraining order:
“Given that Plaintiff has almost certainly been aware of the challenged bylaws and his ineligibility to play college football in the 2025-26 season for quite some time and has been discussing possible resolution with the NCAA, the Court is not persuaded that an ex parte order is justified,”
With less than a month until the college football transfer portal opens on December 9th, the ruling doesn’t help Pavia or the Vanderbilt program get a good grasp on what the future might hold for 2025 and beyond.
Pavia mentioned in his restraining order last week that that he would suffer “irreparable harm” if he was not aware of his status from the NCAA before the portal window opened next month.
On the plus side, Judge Campbell stated he would set an expedited schedule that could help move the case along faster, but he also said he would allow both Pavia and the NCAA to create a schedule first.
Due to the fact that Pavia began his season in junior college (JUCO) at the New Mexico Military Institute, he believes they should not count against his eligibility status. He played two seasons with the New Mexico State Aggies before transferring to Vanderbilt in 2024. If the JUCO years were voided, he would only have three years of NCAA eligibility used.
“Athletes playing football outside of the NCAA monopoly have no meaningful opportunity to profit off their name, image, or likeness,” according to Pavia’s lawsuit on Friday. “Even so, JUCO Eligibility Limitation Bylaws restrict the ability of athletes who begin their college football careers in junior colleges from having the same opportunity to profit from NIL as students who enter an NCAA institution as freshmen.
If Pavia is unsuccessful, he will only have one more year left of eligibility, instead of two. He is looking to be able to play in the 2025-26 season.
The Commodores still have two games remaining on their schedule for the regular season plus their first bowl game since the 2018 season.
