In a potential landmark ruling for the future of college sports, a judge denied Alabama basketball player Charles Bediako’s motion seeking a preliminary injunction against NCAA eligibility rules, according to court documents obtained by AL.com. Bediako, who returned to the Crimson Tide after signing an NBA contract and playing in the G League, will no longer be permitted to play college basketball under NCAA bylaws.
Bediako became the first former pro to return to college when he received a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in January. That order prohibited the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility rules on the 7-footer and paved the way for him to play in five games for the Crimson Tide, across which he averaged 10 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
The temporary restraining order was always a stopgap solution to get Bediako on the floor. His ultimate goal was to receive an injunction which would effectively clear him to play the rest of the season. Bediako and his counsel were back in court last Friday for the injunction hearing, and after deliberating on the matter over the weekend, judge Daniel Pruet ruled in the NCAA’s favor and denied the injunction.
“Common sense won a round today,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement. “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.”
Bediako’s return to college basketball drew the ire of many throughout the sport, and it even prompted SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to sign an affidavit against his cause. Days before the injunction hearing, Sankey asked the judge to uphold the eligibility rules “which are essential to the integrity of college sports, to the educational mission they serve, and to the opportunities they provide for current and future student-athletes.”
This case delivered numerous twists, including an extension of Bediako’s temporary restraining order, the recusal of a judge who was an Alabama booster and the postponement of the injunction hearing. All the while, Bediako was on the floor for the Crimson Tide for the first time since the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
“We are disappointed in today’s court ruling, denying the injunction for Charles Bediako,” the University of Alabama said in a statement. “While we understand the concern around competitive and developmental implications of former professional athletes participating in college, it is important to acknowledge reality.
“The NCAA has granted eligibility to over 100 current men’s basketball players with prior professional experience in the G League or overseas. Granting eligibility to some former professionals, and not to others, is what creates the havoc we are currently in and why consistency from decision-makers is so desperately needed.”
The NCAA does routinely grant eligibility waivers to athletes with professional experience — namely those who played for G League Ignite before its fold in 2024 and those who come to the United States from overseas — but only if they have not yet played American college basketball. The association strictly prohibits players like Bediako from leaving for the NBA or another pro league and then returning for a second stint of college basketball.
Bediako ruling could impact other ongoing eligibility cases
While Bediako was the first professional player to return to college, he is not the only athlete seeking additional eligibility through the court system. His denial of an injunction could have ramifications for those other cases.
All of these arguments exist on the basis that the NCAA’s four-year eligibility limit unfairly restricts athletes’ abilities to earn compensation for their name, image and likeness. Bediako sought to utilize the years he forwent when he declared for the NBA Draft. Others, like Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, argue that the seasons they spent in junior college should not count toward their four-year eligibility clocks.
Both Aguilar and Chambliss went to state courts to seek another year with their respective football programs. Now that there exists legal precedent in one of these cases, the judges presiding over their respective cases could cite the Bediako ruling in decisions to rule against their injunctive relief. The quarterbacks’ cases are different enough, however, that such an outcome is no guarantee.
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