Court ruling leaves Mark Mitchell, other fifth-year college athletes in eligibility limbo

The eligibility battle for Missouri star Mark Mitchell and several other prominent college basketball players seeking a fifth season got more complicated Friday, when a Kentucky Court of Appeals dissolved a temporary injunction that had been the basis for their eligibility. Among the others affected are Louisville's Seth Trimble and LSU's Skyy Clark.

While the elimination of the injunction doesn't mark the end of the court case, it does mean they will need to find an alternate legal path to eligibility while the Kentucky case proceeds through the court system. The ruling also includes Kentucky linebacker Alex Afari and Texas Tech backup quarterback Thomas Castellanos, both of whom have been on-field participants for their teams during the first month of the season.

Ramifications on the basketball side could be significant. Mitchell, if eligible, is a potential all-SEC performer. The Tigers project as the No. 39 team in Evanmiya.com's preseason rankings, but as the No. 54 team without him.

While the Friday ruling is a major blow, it likely won't be the end of the legal battle for many of the Kentucky plaintiffs. With the start of college basketball season just a month away, Mitchell and many of the other basketball…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/