SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sides with NCAA in Charles Bediako eligibility case

Key Highlights

• that made him immediately eligible. Since his legal victory, Bediako has played in four games for the Crimson Tide, averaging 9.5 points, five rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
• Alabama has gone 2-2 in those games, dropping them from the top 25 of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRoberts, an Alabama donor, has since recused himself from Bediako’s eligibility case.
• Bediako’s next hearing is scheduled for Friday, Feb.
• 6, one day before the Crimson Tide play on the road against archrival Auburn.
• The hearing will be heard by Judge Daniel Pruet. The NCAA is arguing that Bediako’s multiple professional contracts he signed since leaving Alabama after the 2022-23 season make him ineligible to return to the sport, according to the organization’s longstanding eligibility rules. REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracketology: Houston, Florida rise in NCAA tournamentSankey agrees with the NCAA’s stance, writing in the affidavit that the rules are “grounded in the principle that college athletics are reserved for current college athletes who are actively pursuing a degree while also participating in college sports and for future college athletes who seek to benefit from the unique educational, athletic, and leadership opportunities provided through college sports.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSankey added that granting Bediako eligibility could “open the door to undermining fundamental principles.”Bediako’s return to college basketball comes during a period of substantial and rapid change in the sport.