Charles Bediako asks Alabama Supreme Court to let him play amid latest appeal with season winding down
· Yahoo Sports
Charles Bediako isn’t giving up on his quest to play for No. 17 Alabama again this season.
Bediako asked the Alabama Supreme Court to give him “interim injunctive relief” so that he can play the rest of the season with the Crimson Tide, weeks after a judge ruled he was ineligible to continue playing with the program.
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Bediako had already filed an appeal to that ruling with the state’s top court. Monday’s request asks that the court allow him to continue to play with the team, as the regular season is almost over and his request would “become moot without interim relief.” Bediako has been helping the Crimson Tide as a scout team member ever since he was deemed ineligible.
"We understand that Charles is pursuing an appeal in his case against the NCAA, and ultimately, he must do what he considers to be in his best interest," Alabama said in a statement, via ESPN. "The University continues to support Charles as he works toward completing his degree."
The Crimson Tide hold a 20-7 record and sit second in the SEC standings entering Wednesday’s game against Mississippi State. They have four games left in the regular season, which will end with a rivalry matchup against Auburn on March 7.
Charles Bediako’s saga continues
Bediako filed a lawsuit against the NCAA earlier this year in order to return to Alabama, where he had last played during the 2022-23 campaign. Bediako entered the NBA Draft after that season, but was not selected. He then spent the last few seasons in the G League, playing in six games for the Motor City Cruise this season.
Bediako was granted a temporary restraining order in January, which allowed him to play with Alabama again after the NCAA had initially denied the request. Bediako ended up appearing in five games with the Crimson Tide, and averaged 10 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest over that span. Alabama went 3-2 with him.
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But then earlier this month, aTuscaloosa judge overruled the temporary restraining order that Bediako was granted. The judge who had originally granted that order to allow him to play was removed from the case after revelations that he was an active donor to Alabama athletics. The new ruling then made Bediako ineligible once more, and Alabama has been playing without him since.
The NCAA praised the decision, and said that “common sense won a round.” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey argued against granting Bediako eligibility in an affidavit, saying that it could fuel “disruption in college sports.”
Bediako is one of several former professional players trying to make their way into the college ranks again. Baylor signed former NBA Draft pick James Nnaji in December, though he never played in an NBA game and instead was with FC Barcelona since 2020. Two other G League players are set to play for programs next season.
“There's a reason ... there's a lot of G League players trying to come back to college,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said after Bediako was ruled ineligible again. “The money's a lot better. The development is a lot better. You get a full-time dietician, full-time strength coach, you're not traveling on commercial flights, spending all your time in airports, not being able to develop.
“Charles actually has lost weight since he went to the G League. His development wasn't what you would think being a pro. You're more of a professional able to focus on getting your body right in college. He's here. He's in school. We're going to help him try to gain weight back he's lost since he was in the G League. We're going to continue to help his basketball development. We're going to continue to help his development as a student, as a student-athlete.”