re: At what point do we see players suing for permanent eligibility?

You don't think the NFL has some serious clout on Capitol Hill?

The NFL only operates in 22 states. While it’s a big industry it hardly has the muscle of the top 20 industries in the USA. In many southern states issues surrounding college athletics will have more impact then sparing the NFL of the freedom from competition over workers. In many northern states they have little at stake to feel deeply about the issue at all.
I do think congressional action is the best remedy for professional sports organizations. I don’t think the issues at play here are well enough understood by enough people to make a logical remedy viable. There’s also too many individual priorities preventing stakeholders from agreeing on the best solution.

This is really the essence of the question I posed. Who decides on 5 years eligibility? That feels just like some sort of arbitrary number. If a player is a student in academic good standing, why should the number of years he can play be limited? If he isn’t good enough for the NFL but is a good college player, an attorney could make a compelling argument that you are limiting an individual’s earning potential as they are likely to make more playing for State U than they are selling insurance.

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Some of these judges need to start telling these guys to take a hike. Sorry, it's getting ridiculous (even if it favors us sometimes).

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I get the sentiment. I hate all this. But we don’t need advocate judges making decisions based on their feelings or what they think is the best interest of college sports. Well meaning or “right” as they may be. They have to rule based on their interpretations of the laws of the jurisdictions they preside over. That would turn all this into an even bigger clusterfrick when their rulings get appealed and overturned.

With the way it’s going, I just don’t see how Congress doesn’t have to eventually get involved and pass some new legislation and/or a players union is formed and a CBA is created for exemption of anti-trust laws. However (I’m no lawyer, so maybe one can speak to this), would federal laws not be open to being challenged by individual states’? The state of Texas says “frick this federal overreach,” files a suit, then we’re right back here again?

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If a player is a student in academic good standing, why should the number of years he can play be limited? If he isn’t good enough for the NFL but is a good college player, an attorney could make a compelling argument that you are limiting an individual’s earning potential

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That is essentially the limit of free trade argument being made in the courts and the NCAA is losing all of them. Unlimited eligibility is the only logical next step. Some people argue being enrolled in school could remain a barrier. Some LSU special teams player is going to spend 16 years in college.
Lucky bastard .

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Congress could regulate college football under the Commerce Clause.

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100%

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Congress could use its Commerce Clause power to adjust antitrust rules, allowing governing bodies to enforce uniform caps on compensation and uniform rules on transfers.

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Im pretty sure one stroke of the pen could put the paste back in the tube. Congress wrote the Sherman Act and has the power to say that the NCAA is exempt.
Which brings up its own concerns. Do we want to grant the NCAA that much power? If not them then who?

As long as they are being paid that's all I care about cause universities make tons of monies off their play on field...... welcome to the new era

People are going to laugh at you but I can 100% see this happening. Guy knows and is willing to accept he will never be good enough for the NFL or NBA, so they go argue this in court. It is basically professional sports now. Let’s not kid ourselves and think that these are students. Only a small % are. They aren’t even going to class. Someone is being paid to do this shite for them online.

Students should not be employees of a school. The thought students needed money to live better while on campus has come down to this. My solution back then was give every team member a stipend. Thats what I lived on while in grad school. Now that we have millionaires amongst is totally absurd.

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Getting to the point where why should they have to go to class and worry about school

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This is true but the other side of this coin is the guys like the Matt Maucks who want to stay in school, dental school for example, or law school. Thats 4 years undergrad and 3-4 years post grad. At this point if someone truly wants to stay in school and get a decent degree, they should be allowed to still play football if they can handle it all.