Hartford athletes file injunction to halt D-III move

The University of Hartford athletes and managers attempting to halt the school’s transition from Division I to Division III athletics have filed for a temporary injunction to stop the process.

The injunction is part of a lawsuit filed in July, where seven student-athletes and two student managers argued that the university “broke its promise to them when it decided to move from Division I to Division III, and when it made that decision based on information it knew, or should have known, is inaccurate and misleading.”

The injunction asked the court Friday to prohibit the University of Hartford from submitting an application for reclassification to the NCAA, eliminating any positions in the university’s athletic

department, firing any athletic department employees and reducing any funding, personnel, practice time, competitions or facility access for teams.

The nine plaintiffs said “none would have enrolled at the university if it did not have Division

I athletics,” and the transition would not only cause monetary harm with the loss of scholarships, but would also ruin opportunities to market off their image, play for professional teams and further their professional careers, according to the filing.

The injunction also asked the court to “undo the irreparable harm they already have caused,” by restoring any positions, funding, loss of practice time, competitions or facility access that the university has since May 6.