New York ? A federal appeals court has rejected running back Maurice Clarett’s longshot bid to get the court to reconsider his lawsuit challenging the NFL’s eligibility rule for the draft.

Lawyers on both sides were told this week that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had rejected a request for a rare rehearing by all 11 judges. The former Ohio State player must now decide whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. In May, a three-judge appeals panel said federal labor policy allowed NFL teams to set rules for when players could enter the league, stopping Clarett from entering the NFL draft.

A lower court judge in February ruled Clarett eligible for the draft, saying the NFL violated federal antitrust laws with its rule barring eligibility until a player was three years out of high school.