GPT attorney Clayton Arnold secures eligibility for Mizzou golfers through court ruling
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Clayton Arnold, an attorney with Gibbs Pool and Turner, P.C., teed up a legal victory for two Missouri women’s golfers in a court ruling Friday.
A Boone County judge granted a temporary restraining order to Addie Dobson and Melanie Walker against the NCAA, making them eligible, for now, to play a fifth season for Mizzou.
Arnold is representing Dobson and Walker, who sued the NCAA and its board of directors over the organization’s new five-year eligibility rules.
“Under the current rule, they should be getting their fifth year of eligibility right now,” Arnold said. “There is no exclusion in the rule book.”
The University of Missouri isn’t the only school facing this issue. Arnold said hundreds of other universities are fighting the same battle.
“Throughout the country, there are more than 600 similar lawsuits,” he said. “This is something that is affecting student athletes everywhere.”
Arnold is hopeful that the case’s outcome so far sets a precedent for the hundreds of similar cases across the country.
“It definitely gives a road map for anyone from the high school class of 2022 who is seeking their fifth year of eligibility but is currently getting denied,” he said. “With our case in particular, the strength is that these women have been on the roster since they’ve started this year of school.”
Moving forward, Arnold’s goal is to get a final judgement from the court that grants permanent eligibility for Dobson’s and Walker’s final year as Tigers.
“They’re on the roster, they’re practicing, they’re following all the other bylaws and guidelines,” Arnold said. “They deserve to play.”
Gibbs Pool and Turner is located in Jefferson City, Missouri, but represents clients throughout the state and across the U.S.