The NCAA hasn't gotten many wins in recent years, so maybe it's too much to tell President Charlie Baker to act like he's been there before. Because he hasn't. At least not recently.
Thanks to inconsistent eligibility standards and loose rules that almost no one is following, the NCAA has taken L after L in courts of law and public perception.
But the NCAA did get a win on Monday when a Tuscaloosa County judge ruled against Charles Bediako's request for an injunction against the NCAA, rendering him ineligible to continue playing for Alabama.
Baker released a statement shortly after the ruling came down from Judge Daniel Pruet, and it reeks of hypocrisy and shows just how out of touch the head of the snake truly is.
“Common sense won a round today," Baker said in a statement. "The court saw this for what it is: an attempt by professionals to pivot back to college and crowd out the next generation of students. College sports are for students, not for people who already walked away to go pro and now want to hit the ‘undo’ button at the expense of a teenager’s dream. While we’re glad the court upheld the rules our members actually want, one win doesn't fix the national mess of state laws. It’s time for Congress to stop watching from the sidelines and help us provide some actual stability.”
What teenager's dream did Bediako's playing come at the expense of? Was there a teenager who was going to be able to enroll mid-year for Alabama and be eligible to play immediately? Alabama had an open scholarship, and contrary to what people want to believe, was, in fact, a student at the University of Alabama. And he was still within his five-year window to play.
Charlie Baker's hypocrisy in his Charles Bediadko statement is laughable
The hypocrisy is almost comical. How many European pros and former G-Leaguers were granted eligibility to play college basketball recently? Did they not take spots away from high school students?
If you want to be against the Bediako eligibility, that's fine. That's certainly your right to do so. But spare me the hypocrisy and disingenuous argument.
The NCAA doesn't actually care about student-athletes. They never have. They only care about holding on to the small semblance of power that is slipping through their grasp. Bediako's eligibility would have further accelerated that and may have gotten us to a breaking point that maybe would have changed things for the better.
Instead, because so many of you hate Alabama, you decided to throw your hat in the ring and support a governing body of hypocrites.
Remember that the next time they make a decision you don't like. Alabama fans certainly will.