An Ohio judge’s ruling Thursday could massively change the shape of college athlete-professional contract negotiations.

The judge ruled that an NCAA bylaw "which renders a student-athlete ineligible for collegiate competition if he or she has a lawyer present during contract negotiation" illegal, the NY Times reports.  

The case was brought by an Oklahoma State University pitcher Andrew Oliver (pictured) who was deemed inelgible by the NCAA because he brought a lawyer to contract negotations with the Minnesota Twins after he graduated from high school.

He was declared ineligible last May, after his sophomore season at the university. 

The NCAA responded to the ruling with the following statement:

“We are disappointed in the judge’s ruling. The bylaws related to agent relationships are important principles our colleges and universities have established to protect and preserve amateurism standards. We intend to seek a review of the decision by a higher court, and we are hopeful these significant standards will be preserved.”