Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris is taking on the NCAA in court—and putting his own mental health at the center of the fight. Morris is seeking a seventh year of eligibility in 2026 after the NCAA denied his waiver request, arguing that anxiety and depression during his college career should count the same as a physical injury, reports ESPN. The case lands in the middle of a growing wave of lawsuits challenging NCAA eligibility rules, but Morris' stands out for focusing squarely on psychological recovery. "That fire was kind of fizzling out inside of me," Morris tells the Athletic, describing how his motivation slipped away during a difficult stretch early in his career.
Morris, now 25, traces those struggles to the 2022 season at TCU, when a knee injury sidelined him and cost him his starting job. Though he was physically cleared to return, court filings say a treatment plan from a sports mental-health specialist kept him in limited, low-pressure participation as he worked through anxiety and depression. Morris ultimately played just 26 snaps across three late-season games—but because he appeared in four contests total, the NCAA counted it as a full season. That shortened season is at the heart of the dispute.
Morris argues the ruling exposes a gap in how the system treats mental health. A 2023 NCAA study found that 17% of male and 44% of female student-athletes report constantly feel overwhelmed. The stakes are significant: Court documents estimate Morris' name, image, and likeness value between $2 million and $4.5 million for another season. The NCAA, meanwhile, says it will continue defending its rules amid a growing number of eligibility challenges and has called on Congress to step in, warning that a patchwork of court decisions is creating instability.
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