The NCAA’s bid to establish rules of eligibility was dealt another legal blow, when an Alabama circuit judge ruled former NBA developmental player Charles Bediako can return to college and play as early as Saturday, a decision which drew sharp reaction from UConn.
“If legally we can’t control or impose NCAA rules in terms of who can play and who can’t, based on a legal decision, the NCAA still has the right to determine what games count toward the NCAA Tournament, and what games don’t count,” UConn AD David Benedict told ESPN. “The NCAA has deemed (Charles Bediako) ineligible. Fine, he can play (on a judge’s ruling). It doesn’t mean the games need to count toward the NCAA Tournament. Otherwise, throw away the rulebook and set it on fire. There are no rules.”
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UConn coach Dan Hurley, who has been a vocal opponent of players returning after going into the NBA Draft, reacted to this development in his own way, posting a 14-second clip from the 1986 film “Back To School,” on his X account, in which an aged Rodney Dangerfield announces he is going to college. In the film, Dangerfield, who was 65 at the time, ends up competing for the diving team.
On Dec. 30, after Baylor signed former G League player James Nnaji, Hurley said, “Listen, if this is just pro sports now, we need a commissioner that just sets the rules for the game we’re now playing. People say, ‘Adapt, adapt, you guy’s got to adapt.’ What are we adapting to? We don’t even know the rules.”
At that time, NCAA commissioner Charlie Baker said the line would be drawn where any player who had signed an NBA contract, including a two-way contract that assigned the player to the developmental G League, would not be granted eligibility. Bediako left Alabama in 2023 and entered the NBA Draft, but he was not drafted.
He signed a two-way NBA contract with San Antonio in 2023, but he has never played in an NBA game. He has taken part in the G League and summer league under contract with the Spurs, Magic, Nuggets and Pistons. The NCAA has allowed pro players from overseas to play, and Bediako, 7-foot center from Canada, sued, on the basis of bias toward international players.
“The University of Alabama supports Charles and his ongoing efforts to be reinstated for competition while he works to complete his degree,” read a statement from the school.
James H. Roberts Jr. of the Tuscaloosa Circuit Court granted Bediako a temporary restraining order, good for 10 days, ruling him “immediately eligible” to participate in all team activities, including games. Alabama plays Saturday.
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“These attempts to sidestep NCAA rules and recruit individuals who have finished their time in college or signed NBA contracts are taking away opportunities from high school students,” read the NCAA statement in response. “A judge ordering the NCAA let a former NBA player take the court Saturday against actual college student-athletes is exactly why Congress must step in and empower college sports to enforce our eligibility rules.”
There is federal legislation before congress to create rules for college sports, the SCORE Act, an acronym for (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act).
