An attorney representing Dawson Garcia, star forward for the Minnesota Gophers, is contemplating legal action against the NCAA after the denial of his waiver request.
Darren Heitner, Garcia’s lawyer, told Gophers On SI, “The NCAA has rejected his request and appeal. We are now pursuing all options directly with the NCAA and may escalate this matter to litigation.”
The news broke on Monday that Garcia had entered the transfer portal, leading to speculation that he might return to college basketball in 2025-26 if his NBA or professional prospects don’t pan out. However, since Garcia has already played five years of Division I basketball, he has exhausted his eligibility.
For Garcia to play in 2025-26, he would need a waiver from the NCAA, which would be based on his 2021-22 season at North Carolina. That season was cut short when he left to return to Minnesota to be with family dealing with medical issues.
Heitner argued that the NCAA fails to apply consistent and meaningful exceptions to its eligibility rules, granting waivers to some players while denying others in similar circumstances. He added on X (formerly Twitter), “We are seriously considering legal action against the NCAA regarding Dawson Garcia.”
Heitner, who teaches sports law at the University of Miami and Florida Levin College of Law, confirmed the case is connected to Garcia’s time at North Carolina. Garcia played 16 games and started 12 for the Tar Heels before leaving in January 2022 to return home. He had originally transferred from Marquette to North Carolina and then later transferred again to Minnesota, where he has played the past three seasons.
Garcia’s freshman season at Marquette does not count against his eligibility due to the NCAA’s blanket extra year of eligibility granted to all athletes who participated in the 2020-21 season, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
If Garcia is granted the waiver, he would become a highly sought-after player in the transfer portal, potentially earning offers well over $1 million to play in 2025-26. Like Cam Christie last year, Garcia may still consider returning to Minnesota if given another year, with entering the portal providing him more options.
Some experts, like college basketball insider Jeff Goodman, believe Garcia should move on, saying simply, “It’s time.”
Garcia’s 132 career games aren’t unprecedented — the NCAA record for most games played is 179, held by former Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon, who played six seasons while receiving waivers for a medical redshirt and the COVID season.
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