fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

Multiple NFL players granted extra year of NCAA eligibility in wild twist

Nypost · · 275 words · By Christian Arnold
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Generate a natural audio summary of this story
Daily briefing

What to know about Multiple NFL players granted extra year of NCAA eligibility in wild twist

Three football players listed on NFL rosters are among a group of 33 athletes who are part of a lawsuit against the NCAA and were granted a temporary restraining order by a Louisiana state court to return to college for one more season.

Claims checked 5
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center50%
Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Three football players listed on NFL rosters are among a group of 33 athletes who are part of a lawsuit against the NCAA and were granted a temporary restraining order by a Louisiana state court to return to college for one more season.

Why it matters

Former Ole Miss starters Dae’Quan Wright and Wydett Williams and former Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson are part of the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, and all appear on rosters of NFL teams, ESPN reported.

Common ground

Attorney Ryan Downton said that all three players have expressed an interest in being released from their NFL contracts, and should that happen by Sept.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/19/sports/multiple-nfl-players-granted-extra-year-of-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 5 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 3
info Single Source 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
info
Claim 1: “The new eligibility rules essentially wipe away most waivers that athletes had been able to get in the past in order to extend their college careers due to injuries or other circumstances.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While one source ('A Mile. A Minute') mentions a court halting an injunction regarding eligibility and another mentions the '5-in-5' ruling's implications, there is no clear, multi-source corroboration that the new rules 'essentially wipe away most waivers' for injuries.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Court halts injunction, denying extra year of eligibility for 2022 athletes. The NCAA was granted a stay in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals against an earlier federal decision challenging its eligi…
https://amileaminute.com/news/court-halts-injunction-denying…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The new eligibility rule could further exacerbate the situation, and court rulings now complicate things even more. Finally, those athletes who graduated from high school in 2021 find themselves caugh…
https://stormininnorman.com/new-5-in-5-court-ruling-has-far-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “But the NCAA has announced an unwritten exception to its rule that strips Class of 2022 students from this policy, even though they competed for years against fifth-, sixth-, and sometimes seventh-ye…
https://www.si.com/college/florida/basketball/florida-denzel…
check_circle
Claim 2: “Wright is listed on the Browns’ roster, Williams is on the Cardinals and Hankerson is part of the Seahawks’ organization.”
CORROBORATED
The specific team affiliations (Wright with Browns, Williams with Cardinals, Hankerson with Seahawks) are explicitly confirmed by both al.com and Yahoo Sports.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of Ole Miss Rebels football players in the NFL draft.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ole_Miss_Rebels_in_the…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Wright is on the Cleveland Browns' roster and Harris was recently a member of the New Orleans Saints before his release. Williams is currently a member of the Arizona Cardinals.
https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/judge-rule…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Wright is currently on the Cleveland Browns roster. Williams is currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals. And Hankerson is currently a member of the Seattle Seahawks. Those players are interested i…
https://www.al.com/sports/2026/08/several-nfl-players-grante…
+ 1 more evidence source
check_circle
Claim 3: “Former Ole Miss starters Dae’Quan Wright and Wydett Williams and former Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson are part of the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, and all appear on rosters of NFL teams, ESPN reported.”
CORROBORATED
The claim that Dae'Quan Wright, Wydett Williams, and Anthony Hankerson are plaintiffs in the lawsuit and are on NFL rosters is confirmed by al.com and Yahoo Sports.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 All-SEC football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) chosen by the Associated Press (AP) and the conference coaches for the 2025 South…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_All-SEC_football_team
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Rebels were le…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Ole_Miss_Rebels_football_…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Ole Miss Rebels football team represents the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2026 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Rebels are led …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Ole_Miss_Rebels_football_…
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 4: “Three football players listed on NFL rosters are among a group of 33 athletes who are part of a lawsuit against the NCAA and were granted a temporary restraining order by a Louisiana state court to return to college for one more season.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent news sources (al.com, Yahoo Sports, and a third web result) confirm that a Louisiana court granted a temporary restraining order allowing athletes, including those on NFL rosters, to return to college.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anthony Darelle "Booger" McFarland (born December 18, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college footb…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booger_McFarland
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kayshon Boutte ( BOO-tee; born May 7, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tige…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayshon_Boutte
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Milton Jawaun Williams (born April 6, 1999) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Williams
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 5: “Earlier this summer, the NCAA overhauled its eligibility rules to allow student-athletes to be able to play for five seasons over a five-year window that begins when they enroll in college or in the school year that follows their 19th birthday, depending on what comes first.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results (SnapDrop file sharing) and general Wikipedia entries about the NCAA and Big Ten, but no specific evidence regarding the 'five seasons over a five-year window' rule change.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Big Ten Conference (formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ten_Conference
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — College football (French: Football universitaire) is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that grid…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_football
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and 1 in Canada. It also organizes the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Collegiate_Athletic_A…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.