Duke football linebacker Cameron Bergeron,along with North Carolina football wide receiver JJ Jones, have filed lawsuits against the NCAA regarding rules that limit athletes to four seasons of eligibility that must be completed within five seasons.

Sports attorney Mit Winter broke down the lawsuits.

Two new lawsuits challenging the NCAA’s rules limiting athletes to 4 seasons of completion & completion of those four seasons in 5 years have been filed in North Carolina State court,” Winter said. “The lawsuits by Duke & UNC football players have preliminary injunction hearings on April 22.”

“During their collegiate football careers, Plaintiffs suffered numerous injuries that limited their ability to play, as well as other challenges off the field which negatively impacted their collegiate football careers,” the lawsuit reads. “As a result of a series of injuries and unfortunate circumstances, Plaintiffs had several of their seasons cut short and were otherwise were not afforded the opportunity to reach their full potential in their collegiate football careers up to this point. Accordingly, Plaintiffs bring this action and seek immediate relief to prevent the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility rules and compel Duke to accept their respective players’ eligibility for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.”

Jones and Bergeron both played four collegiate seasons, all with North Carolina and Duke respectively.

There have been past lawsuits that have mirrored the claims of Jones and Bergeron here, but the rulings in these cases will not apply to the Tar Heel and Blue Devil.

Per On3’s Grant Grubbs, “In January, Wisconsin cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean filed against the NCAA in the U.S. Western District of Wisconsin. Fourqurean argued he deserved an extra year of eligibility because his season at Division II Grand Valley State should not count toward his overall eligibility. Prior to Fourqurean’s lawsuit, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia successfully sued the NCAA in November over NIL and eligibility. He argued the two years he spent at the New Mexico Military Institute shouldn’t count toward his eligibility as he sought another season of college football. He won the lawsuit and won an extra year of eligibility for athletes who played at least one season at a non-NCAA institution such as a junior college or an NAIA school.”