MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean has filed an injunction saying the two seasons he played at NCAA Division II program Grand Valley State shouldn’t count against his college eligibility.
Fourqurean, who completed his senior season at Wisconsin last fall, filed a brief in support of his case Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Madison. He brought his case to court after the NCAA denied him a waiver that would have given him an additional year of eligibility.
His attempt to continue his college football career comes after a U.S. federal judge granted a preliminary injunction last month enabling Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who spent two years at a junior college, to get another year of eligibility.
The NCAA is appealing the Pavia case but also issued a waiver enabling athletes who played at a non-NCAA school for more than one year to compete for one more year if they otherwise would have exhausted their eligibility in 2024-25.
Fourqurean enrolled at Grand Valley State in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic canceled the NCAA Division II season. He then played at Grand Valley State in 2021 and 2022 before transferring to Division I member Wisconsin in 2023.
If he isn’t granted additional eligibility, Fourqurean would be required to declare for April’s NFL draft by Feb. 7 if he wants to continue his football career.
Fourqurean’s complaint notes the NCAA enabled players who competed in 2020 to get an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic-shortened season, but Division II players weren’t given that opportunity. It also notes that as a D-II player, he wasn’t able to participate in name, image and likeness opportunities given to D-I players.
The complaint says that the NCAA therefore is violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by not granting Fourqurean a waiver and by limiting his economic opportunities to receive NIL benefits because of his prior attendance at a D-II school. The complaint also argues that the NCAA is interfering with the contract Fourqurean has with Wisconsin.
Fourqurean was a starting cornerback for Wisconsin the past two seasons. He had 51 tackles and one interception last season as the Badgers went 5-7 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten Conference.