MISSOULA — Montana men's basketball player Kai Johnson has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA as he seeks another year of college eligibility.
Johnson filed the suit in Missoula County District Court on Friday, April 25. He is represented by Dennis E. Lind in Missoula. The documents were obtained by the Montana Television Network.
The complaint states that Johnson filed the action after being denied a waiver request for an additional year of eligibility. In it, Johnson references his time at NCAA Division II Western Washington University. Johnson was enrolled at WWU during the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic-affected season, and WWU opted to not play any games that year.
Johnson, an Olympia, Wash., native, then played at WWU for three seasons before transferring to Montana this past season.
The suit challenges the NCAA's bylaws that limit the number of years of athletic eligibility. Along with losing the opportunity to play one more season of college basketball, the complaint also claims that Johnson could be losing NIL opportunities in 2025-26 that could be worth around $100,000.
The suit states Johnson "experienced significant personal struggles during his first year at Western Washington, including academically and emotionally. Due to the ongoing pandemic, Johnson felt his opportunity to successfully transition into the college environment was destroyed."
It continues: "Plaintiff experiences isolation from his peers, including being unable to socially bond with other students, given the social distancing and other pandemic protocols in place at the time. This resulted in stress, frustration, and, ultimately, depression." It goes on to state that Johnson struggled academically as a byproduct.
The suit also states that in Johnson's second season in 2021-22, those struggles also continued as things began to return to normal.
"The difficulties faced by Johnson during his first two years at Western Washington, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, were entirely outside of his control," it reads.
The University of Montana submitted a waiver of the NCAA's "Five-Year Rule" on March 3, seeking the extra year of eligibility for Johnson. According to the suit, that waiver was denied by the NCAA on March 12.
"The waiver request also described the unequal and/or arbitrary treatment being afforded to athletes, under the NCAA's administration of its bylaws, with respect to the 2020-21 season and toward athletes who previously played at Division II institutions," the complaint reads.
Specifically, the suit references the case of University of Wisconsin football player Nyzier Fourqurean, who successfully was granted another year of eligibility after also starting his career at a Division II school.
If Johnson is granted the extra year of eligibility, it would be a big win for the Griz program in returning a key piece of last year's Big Sky Conference championship team.
In his lone season with the Grizzlies, Johnson played in all 35 games and started in 21. After starting in the first six games of the season, Johnson was re-inserted into the starting lineup against Montana State on Jan. 25, put up 25 points against the Bobcats, and never looked back.
For the season he averaged 11.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while 50.9% from the field and 34.1% from 3-point range. He scored 23 points in UM's win over Northern Colorado in the Big Sky tournament championship game, and added a 15-point performance against Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Montana has already received announcements of the return of starters Joe Pridgen, Money Williams and Te'Jon Sawyer. Sawyer was the beneficiary of the NCAA granting extra years of eligibility to athletes who began their careers at the junior college level.
Starting guard Malik Moore transferred to Xavier, while reserve forward Zack Davidson recently committed to fellow Big Sky foe Northern Arizona. Reserve guard Jeremiah Dargan also entered the portal.
The Grizzlies themselves have been busy in the transfer portal as they build their roster for 2025-26. Those additions include Minnesota forward Kadyn Betts, Colorado guard Courtney Anderson Jr., Chico State forward Trae Taylor and junior college guard Tyler Isaak.
