Spallina, Dwan Not Part of Amended Suit Seeking Fifth Year; Jacksonville Player Added
(Inside Lacrosse Photo: Dan Aburn)Joey Spallina and Billy Dwan III are no longer part of a lawsuit seeking an injunction and return to Syracuse.Sources tell Inside Lacrosse that an amended complaint will be filed that has removed the duo and added others. Jacksonville lacrosse player Aaron Toguri, a first-team All-ASUN defender and this summers Major Series Lacrosse Rookie of the Year, is now a plaintiff, as well as a Northwestern cross country and track athlete.Luke Rhoa, Michael Leo and Finn Thomson remain a part of the suit, which is a narrow action that seeks to accommodate their return to the Syracuse roster without displacing a current student-athlete or Class of 2026 recruit. The initial suit's filing was reported Tuesday night.It reflects a situation for the high school Class of 2022 that is far from over. This lawsuit, set to be filed in Denver District Court with Peter J. Schaffer as the attorney for the plaintiffs, appears to be the first involving lacrosse players directly, but it is far from the only or first involving the class in the wake of the 5-in-5 passage. Other lawsuits could have broader effect for the class, even outside of plaintiffs directly listed in suits.Plaintiffs seek narrow, individualized equitable relief. Plaintiffs do not ask this Court to invalidate the NCAAs newly adopted five-season eligibility model, retroactively rewrite NCAA legislation for every member of the 2022 recruiting class, or interfere with the NCAAs general governance of intercollegiate athletics. Rather, Plaintiffs challenge the NCAAs present, post-June 2026 exercise of contractual discretion in applying its transition policy to these nine identified Plaintiffs, each of whom has a concrete Division I opportunity or seeks to preserve an existing Division I opportunity and for whom the NCAAs stated concerns regarding roster displacement can be eliminated through narrowly tailored relief, the amended suit writes.Syracuses high school Class of 2022 is particularly noteworthy. That years No. 1 class changed the trajectory of the program and got the Orange back to Championship Weekend twice.In reference to Toguris roster spot, the suit says: Toguri does not seek an automatic roster position or relief at another student-athletes expense. His requested relief remains subject to Jacksonvilles voluntary decision to roster him, actual available capacity, and all ordinary academic, institutional, conference, conduct, and eligibility requirements unrelated to the challenged transition rule.The choice for Rookie of the Year Leading all rookies in total assists, points per game, and tied for scoring points per game with a significantly better turnover ratio than his counterparts pic.twitter.com/Cht1cygAMN Maryland Whipsnakes (@PLLWhipsnakes) July 30, 2026Spallina is already a star in the Premier Lacrosse League as one of the top rookies with the Maryland Whipsnakes. Dwan, his Whipsnakes teammate, has also recently been hired as an assistant coach at Fairfield.