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Jeff Borzello
The hearing regarding Alabama center Charles Bediako’s request for a preliminary injunction has been postponed due to weather conditions, as noted in a court filing. This has led to the extension of his temporary restraining order (TRO) by another 10 days.
Bediako received a 10-day temporary restraining order last week, allowing him to play for Alabama immediately and preventing the NCAA from imposing any penalties on the university, with a complete hearing set for Tuesday. yet, a virtual status conference was conducted on Monday because Taylor Askew, one of the NCAA’s lawyers, was unable to attend Tuesday’s hearing due to weather complications.
Judge James H. Roberts renewed the temporary restraining order for an additional 10 days after the NCAA concurred that “good cause” exists for the extension. The initial TRO, granted on Wednesday, was anticipated to last for 10 days or until a hearing could be held.
A complete hearing will be scheduled at a future date.
Bediako participated in his first college game in nearly three years on Saturday against Tennessee, scoring 13 points in a 79-73 defeat. Alabama will host Missouri on Tuesday before traveling to Florida on Sunday.
The 6-foot-11 center played two seasons at Alabama during 2021-22 and 2022-23 before leaving early for the NBA draft. After going undrafted, he never appeared in an NBA game, spending the last three seasons with three different G League teams, most recently playing for the Motor City Cruise last weekend.
He initiated legal action against the NCAA for immediate reinstatement after the organization declined Alabama’s appeal for his return.
but to former professionals who were granted eligibility by the NCAA — including Baylor’s James Nnaji, the first draftee cleared for men’s college basketball — Bediako entered into a two-way contract with several NBA teams. The NCAA has traditionally regarded this as a critical factor in determining eligibility.
Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball, released a statement on Friday, reiterating that any player who remains in the NBA draft beyond the withdrawal deadline, as Bediako did, forfeits their remaining collegiate eligibility.
“[If those rules] cannot be enforced, it would lead to an unstable environment for student-athletes, schools constructing rosters for the upcoming season, and the NBA,” Gavitt stated in the announcement.
Bediako averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks during his two previous seasons at Alabama.
