Amani Bledsoe’s lawyers have filed a response to the NCAA’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought against the organization by the Oklahoma defensive lineman.
Bledsoe, who returned from a year-long suspension three weeks ago, first entered his lawsuit against the NCAA in late August. The NCAA ruled Bledsoe ineligible for a year after he tested positive for a banned substance.
In the lawsuit, lawyers for Bledsoe ask to restore a year of eligibility lost to suspension for a failed test of performance-enhancing drugs and cover costs and attorney’s fees. The lawsuit argues that NCAA bylaws surrounding student-athlete drug testing are unconstitutional in Oklahoma “because they administer damaging, life-changing, quasi-criminal punishments to student-athletes on strict liability basis without any type of knowledge, intent” or acknowledgement that the acts could result in a punishment.