Former Duke football players Ryan Smith and Tre’Shon Devones have initiated legal action against the NCAA, both aiming to obtain another year of college football eligibility
The players’ lawsuit seems to revolve around finances, with the suit stating that each player earned $50,000 in NIL money last season and has received an offer of $150,000 for the 2025 season.
Smith, a defensive end, and Devones, a cornerback, argue in the lawsuit that the NCAA’s eligibility regulations impose an unfair constraint on competition, and these rules would compel both athletes to join the forthcoming NFL Draft with a low chance of being selected where they prefer.
The lawsuit filed by the players states that due to injuries and unfortunate events, both players experienced multiple interruptions in their college football seasons. The legal complaint particularly refers to the NCAA’s 5-year policy, permitting 4 years of competition within a 5-year period.
“The lawsuit claims that they were also not given the chance to achieve their full potential in their college football careers thus far.”
Smith participated in 56 matches over 5 seasons for the Blue Devils, featuring in 39 games during the last 3 seasons. In 2024, he recorded 22 tackles, which comprised 7.5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks.
Devones participated at Rice from 2019 to 2023, appearing in 35 games, with 20 of those being starts. He moved to Duke for the 2024 season and participated in 10 games.