Sports
What the Charles Bediako ruling means for Alabama and future NCAA eligibility cases
-
Myron Medcalf
Close
Myron Medcalf
ESPN Staff Writer
- Myron Medcalf covers college basketball for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2011.
Multiple Authors
Which players are eligible to play college basketball came into clearer focus on Monday.
A Tuscaloosa circuit court judge denied Charles Bediako‘s motion for a preliminary injunction the same day the temporary retraining order that first allowed the former two-way NBA player — who played three seasons in the G League but never in an official NBA game — to play for Alabama was set to expire.
Bediako, who spent two seasons with the Tide between 2021 and 2023 before going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, averaged 21.6 minutes in the five games he played for Alabama between Jan. 24 and Feb. 7. The team went 3-2 over that stretch.
So what does the ruling mean for Alabama — and for future eligibility cases like Bediako’s? ESPN’s men’s college basketball reporters Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf answer the most pressing questions.
What could this mean for future instances of former NBA and G League players making their NCAA eligibility cases?
Borzello: The line in the sand has always been this: Once a player keeps his name in the NBA draft, he knowingly gives up his NCAA eligibility and is no longer able to play college basketball. That line was directly challenged in this case, and for now, the NCAA has prevailed.
The specifics of Bediako’s situation were different from that of Baylor’s James Nnaji. They were different from that of former G League players Thierry Darlan (Santa Clara) and Abdullah Ahmed (BYU). And they were different from that of former European professionals in the current college ranks. None of them had previously stepped foot on a college basketball court.
There is now precedent for future cases brought to court that aim to challenge the NCAA’s eligibility rules about former college players who have entered the NBA draft and/or signed two-way contracts with the league. And it won’t be long before we see it tested again, with former UCLA guard Amari Bailey — who left the Bruins in 2023 and played in 10 NBA games — exploring a return to college.
Medcalf: This decision creates different categories of players attempting to join the NCAA. As Jeff mentioned, the G League players who were cleared to play college basketball this season had not previously played college basketball. Nnaji hadn’t, either. The judge’s ruling, which could be challenged in a higher court, establishes that any player who plays in the NBA after playing college basketball is not allowed to return to college basketball.
The judge aligned himself with the NCAA in this decision, separating NBA participation after college as the ultimate disqualifier. It’s a major ruling in the NCAA’s favor, and if it holds, any G League, two-way or NBA player who fits that criteria will be denied.
What is Alabama’s outlook without Bediako?
Borzello: With Bediako in the fold, Alabama had close wins over Auburn and Texas A&M, a blowout victory over Missouri, and a pair of losses to Tennessee and Florida. He started two of the five games, averaging 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks overall.
Where his departure will be felt the most is from a depth perspective, as head coach Nate Oats has been dealing with a litany of injuries all season. He now has to turn to Noah Williamson as his primary big man off the bench. The former Bucknell transfer has struggled all season, hasn’t scored since Jan. 10 and didn’t play in either of the past two games. Starting center Aiden Sherrell, however, has an opportunity here: He has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign and was coincidentally playing the best basketball of his college career just before Bediako joined the program.
Medcalf: The Tide have the same issues they had before Bediako arrived: They’re not a great defensive team. During his first stint in Tuscaloosa, Bediako was a key player for one of the top defensive programs in America. Even though he averaged 1.4 blocks during his second-chance run, the Tide ranked 106th in adjusted defensive efficiency over that five-game stretch and allowed opponents to make 54.1% of their shots inside the arc — one of the worst marks in the country, per BartTorvik. And as Jeff said, their bigger concern without Bediako is simply the lack of players to put on the floor in a tough SEC.
Are Alabama’s three wins with Bediako at risk of being vacated?
Borzello: Vacating wins has long been a path of punishment from the NCAA, forcing programs that played players later ruled ineligible because of NCAA violations to erase those wins and records from the annals. In this case, though, it seems unlikely.
The temporary restraining order that allowed Bediako to play also stated that the NCAA is “restrained from threatening, imposing, attempting to impose, suggesting or implying any penalties or sanctions” against Bediako or Alabama. And even though the order is no longer viable, the NCAA would, in essence, be penalizing the Crimson Tide for what a judge ruled.
NCAA president Charlie Baker didn’t mention the idea of vacating wins in his brief statement in the wake of Monday’s ruling, but he did address it in an interview with Sports Illustrated last week. “For a lot of really good reasons, people who lose in court can’t turn around and punish the people who won,” Baker told SI.
How might the selection committee weigh Alabama’s run with Bediako differently than the rest of their schedule?
Borzello: The selection committee is likely to classify Bediako’s status like it does that of any other player who played only a portion of the season because of injuries, eligibility status, etc. When evaluating a team’s résumé, the committee puts its primary focus on how it performed with the group of players it will have during the NCAA tournament. For Alabama, that will be a team without Bediako. So yes, the wins over Auburn and Texas A&M count, and they will be on Alabama’s team sheet on Selection Sunday. But when the committee is comparing the Tide’s résumé to other squads’ during the seeding process, it will absolutely factor in that those wins came with a player no longer on the team.
Joe Lunardi: At the end of the day, the entire affair will end up overblown in terms of both on- and off-court impact. Bediako was a factor in his five games, yes, but he wasn’t Shaquille O’Neal. The Crimson Tide went 3-2, exactly what most projections had regardless. Bediako’s incremental contributions simply weren’t enough to affect Alabama’s overall numbers. Unless the team falls off a cliff, which no one expects, the committee needn’t spend much time on the topic. And, if they do collapse, the Tide’s issues will be much bigger than one player.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Rory McIlroy, a two-time winner of the Players Championship, believes the PGA Tour’s flagship event is one of the best tournaments in the world — just not the fifth major.
While speaking to reporters Tuesday ahead of this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy was asked where The Players stacks up with the other majors (Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open) after he completed the career Grand Slam by capturing a green jacket at the Masters last season.
“Look, I’d love to have seven majors instead of five, that sounds great,” McIlroy said. “I think The Players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world. I don’t think anyone disputes that or argues that. I think from a player perspective, it’s amazing. I think from an on-site fan experience, it’s amazing. It’s an amazing golf course, location, [and] venue.
“But I’m a traditionalist. I’m a historian of the game. We have four major championships. You know, if you want to see what five major championships look like, look at the women’s game. I don’t know how well that’s [gone] for them.”
The LPGA includes five majors on its schedule each season: Chevron Championship, U.S. Women’s Open, Women’s PGA Championship, Amundi Evian Championship and the Women’s Open.
McIlroy believes competing for the four traditional majors is enough for the men’s professional game.
“But it’s The Players — it doesn’t need to be anything else,” said McIlroy, who defeated J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff at last year’s Players. “Like I would say it’s got more of an identity than the PGA Championship does at the minute. So like from an identity standpoint, I think The Players has got it nailed. It is an amazing tournament in its own rite, and I don’t think it being classified [as] a major or not a major makes it any more or any less.”
As for the PGA Championship, McIlroy believes the tournament needs to move back to August as the final major, when it was “glory’s last shot” each season. It’s currently played in May as the season’s second major.
The debate about whether The Players should be considered the fifth major heated up again in recent weeks after the PGA Tour launched a trailer ahead of next month’s event that included the motto, “March is going to be major.”
LIV Golf League captain Phil Mickelson, the 2007 Players Championship winner, pushed back, writing on his X account: “I’ve won it. It’s not.”
The Players has long been considered one of the most difficult tournaments to win because of its deep field — world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the only back-to-back champion, in 2023 and 2024, in the 51-year history of the event.
Mickelson argued on X that since LIV Golf stars like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm aren’t allowed to compete in the event, the PGA Tour can no longer make that argument.
“I’m still very proud to have won that tournament twice, as I’m sure all the other champions are,” McIlroy said. “It stands on its own without the label, I guess.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
United States figure skater Maxim Naumov delivered an emotional performance in his Olympic debut on Tuesday, honoring his late parents who died in a tragic plane crash last year.
There wasn’t a dry pair of eyes at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Tuesday night, as Naumov fulfilled a dream he had alongside his parents, former pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were among the 67 people killed when a military helicopter collided midair into American Airlines Flight 5342 in Washington D.C. in January 2025.
Naumov, 24, was expected to be a long shot to even crack the top 10 at this year’s Olympics, let alone medal. But he delivered quite the show that resulted in a full standing ovation, as he looked up at the sky and said, “Look at what we’ve done,” per ESPN.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Maxim Naumov of Team United States reacts after competing in the men’s singles skating short program on day four of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 10, 2026. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
“I didn’t know if I was going to cry, smile or laugh,” Naumov said after his short program resulted in a score of 85.65 — good for 12th and having him qualify for the next round.
Naumov skated to “Nocturne No. 20,” and he couldn’t have been happier with his performance, knowing his parents were with him in spirit.
“I’ve been inspired by them since day 1, ever since we stepped on the ice together,” Naumov, who was holding an old photo of himself and his parents on the ice together in the kiss-and-cry zone after dedicating his performance to them.
Naumov’s parents were among a contingent of U.S. figure skaters, coaches and family members who tragically passed away from the crash after leaving a developmental camp in Wichita, Kansas after the 2025 national championships. Naumov was on an earlier flight.
Maxim Naumov of Team United States competes in the men’s singles skating short program on day four of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 10, 2026. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Three days before being named to the U.S. Olympic team, Naumov was emotional after skating in their honor at the U.S. Championships, where he held up the same picture of himself as a 3-year-old boy with his parents on either side of him.
“Sharing the vulnerability with the audience and me feeling their energy back has been something I remember for the rest of my life,” Naumov said to reporters after his skate that solidified his spot on the U.S. team. “It’s what my parents and I — one of our last conversations was about exactly that, and you know, it would mean the world to me to do that. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
As he took the ice, Naumov said that being too technical about his performance wasn’t the thought process.
His effort level was all that mattered — no matter the result.
USA’s Maxim Naumov holds a picture of his parents, who died in a plane crash last year, after competing in the figure skating men’s singles short program during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 10, 2026. Naumov’s parents Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova died after a midair collision of an American Airlines plane and a US Army helicopter in Washington DC on Jan. 29, 2025. (WANG Zhao / AFP)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I wasn’t thinking about executing anything perfectly or anything like that. I wanted to go out there and just give my heart out. Leave everything out there. Have no regrets. And that’s exactly what I felt,” he said, per ESPN.
Naumov will perform again during the men’s free skate on Friday night.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sports
US Air Force Olympian Jasmine Jones expresses gratitude while representing America at Winter Games
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
U.S. Olympic bobsled member Jasmine Jones is competing in her first-ever Olympics in Milan Cortina.
As a mother of a five-year-old and Air Force servicemember, the pride of representing the U.S. has brought her game “to a different caliber.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Kaysha Love and Jasmine Jones of the United States compete during the two-woman Bobsleigh heat 2 on day five of the 2025 IBSF World Championships at Mt Van Hoevenberg on March 14, 2025 in Lake Placid, New York. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
“I feel like being able to represent my country, as well as being an athlete for my country, it definitely brings a different meaning and a different caliber. I feel like there’s so few people who do both at the same time, and I’m honored to have this opportunity to represent both. I’m thankful for being an airman and representing my country in that aspect,” Jones told Fox News Digital.
“It definitely ties it together and brings different meaning and how much more I have to give.”
Jones just barely missed out on qualifying for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. So she joined the Air Force in April 2023, which allowed her to undergo a much more rigorous training routine, which she credits for her ability to qualify for this year’s games.
“I’m just thankful to be an airman,” she said. “Going into the WCAT program, that allowed me to truly have my offseason training, allowed me to get to this point … having that offseason training to be able to focus truly and put in the work, that transpired with this moment.”
Jones had her daughter in 2021 and was looking for stability as a means to achieve her goal of reaching the Olympics. The Air Force gave her that path.
Olympian Jasmine Jones of Team United States poses for a photo on February 03, 2026 ahead of the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. (IOC via Getty Images)
“I wanted to do something that gives me more stability, there was a time when I was working my civilian job and trying to train at the same time, and it just wasn’t enough. I know I wanted to dedicate my time towards bobsled,” Jones said.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is being resilient, and I feel like that plays a part, where going into basic and you’re waking up early, you’re following orders, you’re getting that discipline needed and that goes into bobsled… so I feel like transitioning from basic training and having that discipline as well translates into just knowing exactly what I’m supposed to do.”
Jones’ appreciation for representing the U.S. comes at a time when other American Olympians are being openly critical of their country in Italy. Team USA athletes Hunter Hess, Amber Glenn and Mikaela Shiffrin have all made statements criticizing the state of the U.S. while competing in Italy.
But Jones now joins ice hockey player Brady Tkachuk in openly praising the U.S. and expressing honor and gratitude for representing it in Milan Cortina.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Jones said she hasn’t looked at social media at all as of late, so is unaware of any criticism of her country by Team USA teammates.
Team USA fans can send Jones and fellow airman Kelly Curtis, also currently competing in Italy, a personalized letter through a program involving partnership between Team USA and Sadboxx.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
McIlroy: Players Championship ‘amazing’ but 4 majors plenty
Social media ads for prescription-only weight-loss medicines banned
Ariana Grande shares hilarious idea for her biopic
-
Entertainment5 days agoHow a factory error in China created a viral “crying horse” Lunar New Year trend
-
Business1 week agoNew York AG issues warning around prediction markets ahead of Super Bowl
-
Tech1 week agoHow to Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics
-
Business1 week agoPost-Budget Session: Bulls Push Sensex Up By Over 900 Points, Nifty Reclaims 25,000
-
Entertainment1 week agoThe Traitors’ winner Rachel Duffy breaks heart with touching tribute to mum Anne
-
Fashion1 week agoCanada could lift GDP 7% by easing internal trade barriers
-
Business1 week agoInvestors suffer a big blow, Bitcoin price suddenly drops – SUCH TV
-
Tech1 week agoThe Best Floodlight Security Cameras for Your Home