Former Florida State men’s basketball player Alex Steen is taking the NCAA to court in hopes of getting one more season.
Steen filed a lawsuit in Leon County on Aug. 14 seeking an additional year of eligibility, according to a copy of the suit obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat. His case asks for the same five-season model the NCAA has already extended to athletes in the Class of 2023 and beyond.
The filing leans heavily on the idea of equal treatment. Steen says he wants “equal treatment” and “equal years,” pointing to both the NCAA’s updated eligibility structure and a recent federal ruling in Colorado.
“Alex Steen asks this court for nothing more than what the NCAA already gives - and has given - to virtually every other Division I athlete: a fifth season of eligibility," the suit reads. "Without emergency relief, the 2026-27 basketball season will begin without him, roster spots will be filled, and the opportunities he's earned through years of development, injuries, academic success, and NCAA Division I competition will be lost forever.
The urgency is undeniable; the injustice is equally clear.”
The NCAA moved to a five years to play five seasons eligibility model in June, and that policy applied to Class of 2023 athletes and onward. That change opened the door to legal challenges from Class of 2022 athletes, and on July 31 Colorado Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted those athletes an extra year of eligibility through a preliminary injunction in the US District Court of Colorado.
Steen’s path has been a little different. He spent three seasons at Division II Florida Southern before transferring to Florida State for his senior year. Last season, he averaged 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 63.2 percent from the field.
A return to Tallahassee remains possible, but the fit would have to work financially for both Steen and the program.
Steen has been around the Seminoles this summer, working out at the team facility. He had been set to begin his professional career in Serbia before filing the eligibility lawsuit.
And Steen isn’t the only player pressing the issue. Multiple eligibility lawsuits are now moving through the system, including one involving former Florida State football quarterback Tommy Castellanos.
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