Alabama Center Charles Bediako is fighting a historic case against the NCAA. While there are problems that currently surround college sports, and in this particular case, college basketball. The Bediako case is the most popular and is one of the most important, given the extreme nature in which Alabama and Bediako were attempting to push the eligibility boundaries.
Bediako’s case is different because he is the only one challenging the NCAA after leaving the NCAA to pursue the NBA professionally. After the 2022-23 college basketball season, Charles Bediako made his declaration for the NBA draft. He was a Junior at the time. He then went on to sign a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs. Since going undrafted in 2023, he has played for 3 different G League franchises, most recently the Motor City Cruise.
The counterargument given by both Alabama fans and their head coach, Nate Oats, is simple: Charles is not the only player playing on a TRO or with prior professional experience. I mean, hell, he’s not even the only guy from the G League. I think they make a solid case and have a legitimate point, there’s just one problem…
Here is the list of players who have been in college before, chose to leave college to pursue a professional opportunity, and then returned to college to play college sports:
Charles Bediako
That’s it, that’s the list. That is why he has been singled out, and that is why he appears to be the NCAA’s main focus right now.
NCAA President Charlie Baker’s Statement
I got this from a tweet posted by On3’sPete Nakos. @PeteNakos on X.
NCAA’s President Charlie Baker: “Common sense won a round today. The court saw this for what it is: an attempt by professionals to pivot back to college and crowd out the next generation of students. College sports are for students, not for people who already walked away to go pro and now want to hit the undo button at the expense of a teenager’s dream.”
“While we’re glad the court upheld the rules our members actually want, one win doesn’t fix the national mess of state laws. It’s time for Congress to stop watching from the sidelines and help us provide some actual stability.”
Some Added Context to the Case
I got this from College Football Nerds in a post to X. @CFBNerds on X.
From @CFBNerds on X, “Bediako was *not* ruled ineligible for play this year by the court. Rather, the judge refused to force the NCAA to let him play via a preliminary injunction while the case is decided. No decision on the merits was reached yet.”
They go on to say the trial will continue and that if Bediako were to eventually win, he would be entitled to compensation for any damage caused by his being unable to play.
Also, while I understand the sentiment of NCAA president Charlie Baker in this particular case, Bediako was not taking away an opportunity from someone in high school. Alabama cannot add players from high school in-season, and Bediako was a senior.
