Breaking: First professional player set to return to college sports

[18IsTheMan]

Charles Bediako has been granted a temporary restraining order and is eligible to play immediately for Alabama basketball. He last played college ball in 2023, before declaring for the draft and has been in the G League since then (at one time on a two-way contract). A hearing is set for 1/27, so he's only guaranteed of being able to play in one game.

 

[18IsTheMan]

...TRO granted by a Tuscaloosa County judge.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I guess the argument is going to be that he never played in an NBA game and thus is not considered a professional.

 

[PrestonyteParrot]

I guess the argument is going to be that he never played in an NBA game and thus is not considered a professional.

They are all paid professionals now regardless

 

[18IsTheMan]

They are all paid professionals now regardless

To my knowledge, though, this is the first player who had signed a contract with a professional sports league to return to college sports.

 

[PrestonyteParrot]

To my knowledge, though, this is the first player who had signed a contract with a professional sports league to return to college sports.

yep, understood
But now we are splicing who is making the payment and not that they are getting paid.
College sports is no longer college sports and has been hijacked and the ''legal system'' is an enabler.

 

[Viennacock]

You know what's crazy? The amateur in the Australian open that beat the #15 seed isn't allowed to keep the $150k he won because he's still in college.

Make this make sense given the NIL landscape. Michael Zheng will be a star. At the end of the day, $150k will be peanuts but...

 

[Swifty]

To my knowledge, though, this is the first player who had signed a contract with a professional sports league to return to college sports.

In the SAME sport, that is correct. There have been several who have gone to play minor league baseball and then come back to college football. Chris Weinke may be the most notable.

 

[SILVERSPUR-rier]

Could you imagine finding a bunch of retired NBA/MLB/NFL all stars who have eligibility and pay them some crazy NIL amount to come back to win a NCAA championship...

 

[18IsTheMan]

Could you imagine finding a bunch of retired NBA/MLB/NFL all stars who have eligibility and pay them some crazy NIL amount to come back to win a NCAA championship...

There doesn't appear to be a clock. The player in question hasn't played college ball since 2023, went off to get 3 years of pro experience, and is coming back to college to pick up where he left off.

 

[Rhode Island Dork]

Quelsey Quarles still has some eligibility.

 

[SC95]

He signed a two-way contract with the Spurs. How long before players are signing two-contracts with college and professional teams?

 

[Piscis]

What stops a player who left early for the NFL, never made it past the practice squad for 3 years and has 2 years of eligibility remaining to go back and play college football? A lot of NFL players are released after their third year if they are not producing like the team thought they were going to.

 

[18IsTheMan]

What stops a player who left early for the NFL, never made it past the practice squad for 3 years and has 2 years of eligibility remaining to go back and play college football? A lot of NFL players are released after their third year if they are not producing like the team thought they were going to.

Nothing, apparently. I haven't read the lawsuit, but I assume the argument is that he never appeared in an NBA game, so he can still play in college. Once that logic is applied here, and there's no reason to believe it won't be, it'll have to be applied to CFB. Certainly guys will be able to declare for the draft, and if they don't get drafted, come back to college. But also those who only end up on practice squads etc.

 

[Swifty]

It does open the question of whether someone like Tim Frisby would be able to play, also. Not his situation, specifically, but imagine a kid graduates high school, enlists in the marines for 6 years and comes back to play football as a freshman at 24 with 5 years to play 4 seasons plus 9 games. Now you're looking at a guy whose body has fully developed in his late twenties bowling through 18-19 year olds.

 

[Lurker123]

Nothing, apparently. I haven't read the lawsuit, but I assume the argument is that he never appeared in an NBA game, so he can still play in college. Once that logic is applied here, and there's no reason to believe it won't be, it'll have to be applied to CFB. Certainly guys will be able to declare for the draft, and if they don't get drafted, come back to college. But also those who only end up on practice squads etc.

Isn't the G league still professional basketball? They get paid, right?

And why does the 2-way contract matter? Its still a paid contract, hence professional contract.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Isn't the G league still professional basketball? They get paid, right?

And why does the 2-way contract matter? Its still a paid contract, hence professional contract.

Well, yeah, until now anyone with a brain would have agreed that the G-league is professional. They are obviously trying to blur the lines between what constitutes a professional. Now, of course, college athletes can be paid, and sometimes paid more than professional players. So I don't think getting paid is enough of a bar anymore. But, common sense says if you've signed a contract with a professional organization, you're a professional.

 

[3USC1801]

Well, yeah, until now anyone with a brain would have agreed that the G-league is professional. They are obviously trying to blur the lines between what constitutes a professional. Now, of course, college athletes can be paid, and sometimes paid more than professional players. So I don't think getting paid is enough of a bar anymore. But, common sense says if you've signed a contract with a professional organization, you're a professional.

Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe it’s a matter of eligibility. . . i.e., if you have college eligibility left, you can come back IF you can get out of your professional contract.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe it’s a matter of eligibility. . . i.e., if you have college eligibility left, you can come back IF you can get out of your professional contract.

Yes, I assume you'd have to have some eligibility left in order for this to even be considered. The main issue is that he's been playing in a professional league for 3 years.

 

[3USC1801]

Yes, I assume you'd have to have some eligibility left in order for this to even be considered. The main issue is that he's been playing in a professional league for 3 years.

Well, age has never been a determining factor for enrollment so I’d hazard a guess that a judge would not consider it here either.

It’s a mess, isn’t it?

 

[Lurker123]

Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe it’s a matter of eligibility. . . i.e., if you have college eligibility left, you can come back IF you can get out of your professional contract.

Yes, you cant have a guy who played 10 years ago try this. There are windows, like you have x years to play your 4 years of eligibility.

I, like others, just always assumed that once you go pro, you give up all remaining amateur eligibility.

 

[3USC1801]

Yes, you cant have a guy who played 10 years ago try this. There are windows, like you have x years to play your 4 years of eligibility.

I, like others, just always assumed that once you go pro, you give up all remaining amateur eligibility.

I think if we were looking at it through the lens of prior stipulations, I’d agree. Now, I’m not so sure. The players seem to have all the leverage in the courts.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Yes, you cant have a guy who played 10 years ago try this. There are windows, like you have x years to play your 4 years of eligibility.

I, like others, just always assumed that once you go pro, you give up all remaining amateur eligibility.

To my knowledge, that's always been the rule. Didn't players forfeit eligibility when they declared for the draft? That's why there was always such an emphasis on players getting their draft grade and seriously considering whether they wanted to declare or not.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I think if we were looking at it through the lens of prior stipulations, I’d agree. Now, I’m not so sure. The players seem to have all the leverage in the courts.

I could maybe see if a player declared for the draft, didn't get drafted and then wanted to come back to college. But once you sign a professional contract, and play in professional games, it just makes no sense to me.

 

[Gradstudent_rivals30147]

ARTICLE ON THE JUDGE,

https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/stor...abama-basketball-charles-bediako/88292923007/

Who was judge that granted TRO to Alabama basketball's Charles Bediako?​

Emilee Smarr
Tuscaloosa News
Jan. 21, 2026, 9:42 p.m. CT







Alabama basketball will have a new player on the roster for Saturday's game against Tennessee.
Former Crimson Tide center Charles Bediako is back with the team after he was granted a temporary restraining order to return to the collegiate stage on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

Bediako first filed a lawsuit against the NCAA with the Tuscaloosa Circuit Court on Jan. 20 after the organization denied an internal request from the University of Alabama to restore the 23-year-old's eligibility.

On Jan. 24 against the Volunteers, Bediako will compete in his first college game since the 2023 Sweet 16, which marked the final contest of his tenure with Alabama that started in the 2021-22 season.

Here are a couple things to know about Judge James "Jim" Roberts Jr., the power behind the ruling who made Bediako's comeback possible.

Does Judge Jim Roberts have involvement with Alabama?​

According to the University of Alabama's Legal Education website, Judge Roberts is a frequent guest lecturer at UA.

Was Judge Jim Roberts a University of Alabama grad?​

Judge Roberts received his bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida before earning his J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 1994.

 

[3USC1801]

ARTICLE ON THE JUDGE,

https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/stor...abama-basketball-charles-bediako/88292923007/

Who was judge that granted TRO to Alabama basketball's Charles Bediako?​

Emilee Smarr
Tuscaloosa News
Jan. 21, 2026, 9:42 p.m. CT





Alabama basketball will have a new player on the roster for Saturday's game against Tennessee.
Former Crimson Tide center Charles Bediako is back with the team after he was granted a temporary restraining order to return to the collegiate stage on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

Bediako first filed a lawsuit against the NCAA with the Tuscaloosa Circuit Court on Jan. 20 after the organization denied an internal request from the University of Alabama to restore the 23-year-old's eligibility.

On Jan. 24 against the Volunteers, Bediako will compete in his first college game since the 2023 Sweet 16, which marked the final contest of his tenure with Alabama that started in the 2021-22 season.

Here are a couple things to know about Judge James "Jim" Roberts Jr., the power behind the ruling who made Bediako's comeback possible.

Does Judge Jim Roberts have involvement with Alabama?​

According to the University of Alabama's Legal Education website, Judge Roberts is a frequent guest lecturer at UA.

Was Judge Jim Roberts a University of Alabama grad?​

Judge Roberts received his bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida before earning his J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 1994.

Surely, you are not suggesting a judge had bias in a case? Never!

/s

 

[Gradstudent_rivals30147]

Surely, you are not suggesting a judge had bias in a case? Never!

/s

Im shocked there is a article on it, nice job by that paper, always interetsing to dig deeper

 

[Piscis]

Yes, you cant have a guy who played 10 years ago try this. There are windows, like you have x years to play your 4 years of eligibility.

I, like others, just always assumed that once you go pro, you give up all remaining amateur eligibility.

Why can't you? Someone who graduates from HS doesn't have any sort of statute of limitations on how long they can wait to go to college. A 28 year old who spent 5 years out of HS playing minor league baseball and then went into the military for 5 years might want to go to college and play a sport. Why shouldn't they be allowed to?

 

[18IsTheMan]

Why can't you? Someone who graduates from HS doesn't have any sort of statute of limitations on how long they can wait to go to college. A 28 year old who spent 5 years out of HS playing minor league baseball and then went into the military for 5 years might want to go to college and play a sport. Why shouldn't they be allowed to?

I think it's the fact of leaving college, playing professional ball for 3 years, and then being able to come back to college and pick back up where you left off.

 

[Patriot321]

I guess the argument is going to be that he never played in an NBA game and thus is not considered a professional.

How long before it will be allowed for pro players that flopped to go back and play in college, I mean, all they have to do is take it to court and they will win.

 

[Piscis]

I think it's the fact of leaving college, playing professional ball for 3 years, and then being able to come back to college and pick back up where you left off.

Lurker said you can't have a guy who has been out of college for 10 years coming back. My question is "why not?". I don't agree with any of the foolishness of any sort of pro athlete coming back.

 

[Lurker123]

Lurker said you can't have a guy who has been out of college for 10 years coming back. My question is "why not?". I don't agree with any of the foolishness of any sort of pro athlete coming back.

I based that only on a rule that may not be in effect anymore. It used to be that you had a set number if years to complete 4 years of eligibility. I dont remember if it was 5 or 6, but the minute you played a game, you started that timer.

 

[Piscis]

I based that only on a rule that may not be in effect anymore. It used to be that you had a set number if years to complete 4 years of eligibility. I dont remember if it was 5 or 6, but the minute you played a game, you started that timer.

I think that was to prevent exactly what is happening from happening.

I know it will never happen, but an instant solution would be to require all athletes to be admitted to the school through regular admission channels with the same requirements as every other student BEFORE they could join the team and receive any scholarship or NIL money. Also, make any money a player accepts from an NIL collective illegal and grounds to be banned from college sports. Make NIL payments have to be directly from a business that uses the players name, image or likeness or from the direct sale of autographs.