Logic wins in the Charles Bediako saga, not NCAA

By Chris Marler

Charles Bediako decision brings something fans have waited a long time for, logic. Not from the NCAA though. 

They say there’s two sides to every story and that the truth always lies somewhere in the middle. Not with Charles Bediako. The truth in that story isn’t about the NCAA versus Alabama or right versus wrong. It’s about logic and reason versus absurdity.

For the last three or more weeks, the Charles Bediako saga has overshadowed most of college basketball. Bediako and Bama bent the rules in their favor to try and tip toe past the line of eligibility that the NCAA drew in the sand years ago. To their defense, that line has been blurred more and more in recent months thanks to the NCAA. 

A once proud governing body that stood atop their own, self professed moral highground and ivory tower, the NCAA has become a shell of its former self over the last several years. The once seemingly intolerant iron fist it ruled with has been turned into an apathetic and exhausted waving of a white flag in decision making. That’s one reason why an attempt to get Bediako eligible was made in the first place. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, here are Cliff’s notes. Bediako left Alabama after the 2023 season to declare for the NBA draft. He went undrafted and spent the last two and a half years in the G-League. After seeing multiple foreign born players who were also in the G-League gain eligibility, Bediako tried to return to college and do the same. The NCAA said no. Bediako’s team filed a temporary restraining order, and he was able to play five games for Alabama. 

NEW: Former pro Charles Bediako has been denied a preliminary injunction against the NCAA and will no longer be eligible to play for Alabama this season.https://t.co/CWLx9qaYvp https://t.co/0Yo650Ilfw pic.twitter.com/ttzqTyY4a7

— On3 (@On3) February 9, 2026

That has outraged fans around college sports everywhere and with good reason. The optics of Alabama bending the rules were never going to be met with grace or understanding, nor should it have been. Nate Oats attempting to get Bediako back in school wasn’t just an unsportsmanlike, egotistical move though. It was also based on precedent. 

Let’s not forget that in January, former G-League player James Nnaji was granted eligibility to play at Baylor despite being the No. 31 overall draft pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and playing the last several years professionally. Who granted that eligibility? The NCAA, of course. 

1. James Nnaji is genuinely terrible and averages only 1.4 PPG.

2. James Nnaji plays for Baylor, who is currently 13-10 & won’t even make the NCAAT this year.

3. Nobody cares as much about Baylor like they do Alabama. https://t.co/x1ZeMoQs9h

— Landon Beamon (@LandonBeamon11) February 10, 2026

Nnaji wasn’t even the first to make the leap, or regressive step back, into college. There were two former G-League players before Nnaji and Bediako that were already back in college. There are also an estimated 100 or more foreign born players who played professionally overseas and are now playing this season across college basketball. 

“You have two choices: one, partake, or two, you’ll be left behind,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said. “And when it came out that you could recruit G League players, I was against it at first. I didn’t want to do it, but we don’t make the rules. If they say you can drive 80, you’re going to drive 80. If you drive 70, you’re going to get passed.”

Alabama assistant coach Preston Murphy takes a shot at the NCAA, posting a clip of current Baylor big James Nnaji being drafted into the NBA.

The NCAA recently ruled Alabama big Charles Bediako ineligible. https://t.co/lgeviXEycP

— College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent) February 10, 2026

Nate Oats of course pushed the envelope even further. It’s not hard to see why. Luckily for fans of college sports everywhere, a judge finally ruled that Bediako would be ineligible. 

A judge did. Not the NCAA. 

That’s why it was super weird that the NCAA president Charlie Baker decided to take a very misguided, stolen valor attempt at a victory lap after the news was handed down.  

“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.”

NCAA president Charlie Baker statement on Bediako: “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… https://t.co/mfYOpNZA3Q

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) February 9, 2026

Someone needs to remind Baker that we are here because of his and his organization’s lack of leadership. You had a hand in creating this instability, and the ignorance of burying your head in the sand hoping it would all go away cultivated it. 

It’s gross. It’s sad. More than anything though, it’s the NCAA at its core.