Zakai Zeigler: NCAA Lawsuit Continues, 5th Year Bid Dropped

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Zakai Zeigler of Tennessee has dropped his bid for a federal judge to let him play a fifth season of Division I basketball in five years, but his lawsuit against the NCAA will continue, his attorneys said Tuesday.

Last month, a judge denied Zeigler’s request for a preliminary injunction that would allow him to return to the Volunteers. He appealed that ruling, but his attorneys voluntarily withdrew the appeal on Tuesday.

“While we had hoped to see Zakai back in orange and white, he’s embracing the next chapter of his basketball career with optimism and resolve,” the law firm Litson PLLC said in a statement. “We remain committed to pressing his case forward in the trial court, where the core legal issues remain very much alive.”

The 5-foot-9 Zeigler was not selected in last week’s NBA draft, but will play in the summer league with the Detroit Pistons, a source told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on June 26.

Zeigler is one of several athletes suing the NCAA over its eligibility rules, arguing the ban on playing more than four seasons in a five-year window is a monopolistic practice that deprives athletes of the opportunity to earn name, image and likeness compensation. He argued in his lawsuit that he could earn between $2 million and as much as $4 million if he played another season at Tennessee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.