Coach Nate Oats and Charles Bediako’s attorney discuss NCAA eligibility issues

TUSCALOOSA, Ala (WIAT) – University of Alabama Men’s Head Basketball Coach Nate Oats and Charles Bediako’s attorney say the NCAA is inconsistent with eligibility rules.

Oats wasted no time addressing the lawsuit Bediako filed against the NCAA during Friday’s press conference.

“First of all, the system is clearly broken, and I’m all for figuring out a way for fixing it,” Oats said.

Multiple former professional athletes who were either drafted by the NBA, entered the NBA G league or played professional basketball overseas, who were given collegiate eligibility by the NCAA, are listed in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed on Jan. 20 and has drawn a lot of criticism from the sports world.

A Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge granted Bediako a temporary restraining order (TRO), for 10 days, meaning Bediako can play for the Tide until Tuesday, Jan. 27.

“Those institutions have European professional players on their rosters, many across the country do,” Bediako’s attorney, David Holt, said. “Those institutions didn’t have to seek eligibility for those players, or to the extent they did the NCAA granted them.”

James Nnaji is one example listed in the suit and a name mentioned during Friday’s press conference.

“The James Nnaji situation really put it over the edge, in my opinion,” Oats said.

Before the lawsuit was ever filed, Nnaji, the 31^st pick in the 2023 NBA draft, was reinstated to play college ball. That made it seem the same would happen for Bediako, Oats said.

However, the NCAA denied his reinstatement, and the suit was filed.

Given, players like Nnaji were allowed in, along with many other former professional players currently on college rosters, and the TRO – putting Bediako on the court Saturday is an easy decision.

“You tell me – how I’m supposed to tell Charles and the team we’re not going to support them, when he’s been deemed legally eligible to play,” Oats said.

The suit argues the NCAA reinstatement eligibility for some and not all shows inconsistencies with their methodology.

The NCAA sent CBS 42 this statement:

“The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract. Eligibility rules ensure high school students get a shot at earning scholarships, and we will continue to consistently apply and defend these rules.”

“This idea that the NCAA is applying rules and attempting to, against Mr. Bediako, to protect opportunities for high school athletes falls flat, when you consider since they’re allowing professional players to come in almost unchecked from Europe,” Holt said.

If someone like Bediako would prevent a high schooler from playing at the collegiate level, Holt argues, how would international professional players not apply in that same argument.

“My personal opinion on all of this, we need a uniform and transparent system,” Oats said. “One that doesn’t punish the Americans, that takes the yp8icialy out of it, that gives equal treatment to Americans and international players – both, while also allowing high school players the opportunities they need coming out of school.”

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