Charles Bediako’s ongoing legal fight against the NCAA included Tennessee basketball guards Ethan Burg and Clarence Massamba on Wednesday. The two Vols were named in the 38 “requests for admission” to prove that the NCAA has granted eligibility to many former professional basketball players.
According to reports on Wednesday, Bediako’s legal team filed a motion to request delaying his preliminary injunction hearing from Friday to February 16-18.
The attorneys want the NCAA to answer the interrogatories and requests for admission before the preliminary injunction hearing takes place.
The interrogatories included asking the NCAA to “identify all student athletes who are currently on roster of any NCAA Division I basketball program who played in any Professional League prior to being granted eligibility for intercollegiate competition.”
They also asked the NCAA to identify athletes who have appeared on rosters the last three years after playing professionally prior to playing college basketball, identifying the leagues and teams players came from, to identify total compensation for those players and to identify players who have been denied eligibility by the NCAA over the last three years based on grounds they competed in professional activities.
Ethan Burg signed in July with three years of eligibility remaining
Burg, the sophomore guard who spent four years playing professionally in Israel, signed with Tennessee in July with three years of eligibility remaining. Massamba, a freshman guard, signed with the Vols in April.
Massamba and Burg were listed as No. 36 and No. 37 on the list of 38 requests for admission:
“Admit that you have granted eligibility to Clarence Massamba, a current-student athlete at the University of Tennessee and former member of AS Monaco Basket from Monaco.”
“Admit that you have granted eligibility to Ethan Burg, a current student-athlete at the University of Tennessee and former member of Bnei Herzliya from Israel.”
Charles Bediako had 13 points, 3 rebounds in loss to Tennessee
Burg is averaging 2.4 points in 17 games this season, averaging 9.5 points off the bench. Massamba has appeared in nine games, scoring four total points and playing 4.0 minutes per game.
Bediako was granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA on January 21, three days before Alabama hosted Tennessee at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.
He has played in four games for the Crimson Tide so far this season, averaging 9.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game. He had 13 points, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 25 minutes in Alabama’s 79-73 loss to Tennessee.
Bediako initially had a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for January 27, but it was delayed due to inclement weather.