Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
Alabama Forward Charles Bediako is headed back to the court.
Not the basketball court. No, he’s headed to the Alabama Supreme Court where he has filed an appeal to, once again, regain eligibility to play for the University of Alabama this season. The news was first reported by Nick Kelly of AL.com.
“Charles Bediako has filed an appeal to the Alabama supreme court after he was denied his motion in circuit court for a preliminary injunction, per court docs,” Kelly wrote. “Of note: He is seeking interim injunctive relief *allowing him to play* while the appeal is pending.”
NEW: Charles Bediako has filed an appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court amid his eligibility denial👀
“He is seeking interim injunctive relief allowing him to play while the appeal is pending.”
(via @_NickKelly) https://t.co/L0lNHGS3hq https://t.co/kWBojwLZje pic.twitter.com/v9gRFoVKvu
— On3 (@On3) February 23, 2026
If you’re unfamiliar with Bediako’s case, I envy you, because it’s been as exhausting as it is absurd. Bediako left Alabama in 2023 to enter the NBA Draft. After going undrafted he spent the last two years in the G-League before returning to Alabama. He, of course, was denied by the NCAA, but sought an injunction and played five games for Alabama.
After playing in those five games the injunction was denied and he was once again ruled ineligible.
That was a win for everyone. At the very least it felt like it was a step in the right direction for guardrails being put in place for collegiate sports. That was apparently not only short lived, but the wrong assumption altogether.
To make all of this even more absurd, Alabama has played better without him. Allowing, or seeking, his return makes even less sense than before. They’ve won six games in a row, and even Nate Oats met with his team to show them the numbers of how much more efficient they were offensively without the former pro.
Despite all of that, we are once again forced to discuss this same topic. Whatever happened to no means no? Bediako was told no repeatedly by the NCAA and a circuit court judge. Yet, here we are finding ways to sidestep rulings and make sure that one thing we aren’t going to do in collegiate sports is force these kids to learn a lesson.
One of the greatest parts of the NIL era is that athletes no longer have to feel the need to turn pro too early strictly because of money. A great deal of players are making far more in college than they would in the G-League by staying in school. Bediako had that choice. This wasn’t a situation where he played in college before all these advantages. He was born into that era at the perfect time to take advantage of it.
He chose not to. Now, he is hoping that his own actions don’t have consequences.
Hopefully the Supreme Court of Alabama will remind him they do.
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