MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — A Mercer University athlete is suing the NCAA for restricting him from playing in the upcoming baseball season.
The NCAA denied additional eligibility to Tyson “Ty” Dalley when he came back to Mercer after he transferred to Clemson University.
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According to his attorneys, Dalley’s “extraordinary” baseball career at Mercer caught the attention of Clemson, whose head coach for the sport assured him his transcripts “looked good” when Dalley expressed that his academics were his highest priority. Dalley claims the head coach suggested to him that all of his earned credits would transfer to Clemson without issue. Those transcripts included 122 completed credit hours at Mercer.
Dalley then signed a National Letter of Intent, executed a Clemson Athletics Aid Agreement in June 2025 and was on Clemson’s campus by August.
But after a month as a transfer student, Dalley’s attorneys said the Clemson academic staff informed him that only 73 of his earned credit hours were recognized, pushing his estimated graduation date a year and a half to summer 2027.
The lawsuit said Dalley eventually returned to Mercer after the Clemson head coach ghosted him when he informed him of the delayed graduation and that the Clemson academic office offered no leeway.
Dalley’s legal team said Mercer readmitted him in summer 2026 and the Mercer head baseball coach wrote a letter to the NCAA on Dalley’s behalf.
On Sept. 10, Dalley’s eligibility waiver to play was denied, with an NCAA case manager writing that the “student-athlete is being treated in a manner consistent with all student-athletes who exhausted eligibility during the 2025-26 academic year.”
Now, Dalley and his attorneys are pushing for a jury trial and request relief by the court including:
- A temporary restraining order on the NCAA enforcement of the eligibility denial
- A preliminary injunction prohibiting the NCAA from taking retaliatory action against Dalley or Mercer University
- A declaratory judgment stating the eligibility denial is null and void
Dalley is scheduled to appear in Bibb County Superior Court on Oct. 23 for a hearing on the matter.
WGXA has reached out to the NCAA for comment on the lawsuit and will provide updates as they become available.
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