TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Tuscaloosa County judge Daniel Pruet denied Alabama center Charles Bediako an injunction against the NCAA on Monday, meaning he will no longer be allowed to continue playing for the Crimson Tide.

Bediako was deemed ineligible by the NCAA in early January, but was granted a temporary restraining order by judge Jim Roberts after suing the NCAA, allowing him to play until the scheduled hearing. The TRO was granted on Jan. 21 and was later extended, allowing Bediako to play in five games for the Crimson Tide.

Roberts, who granted both the initial TRO and the TRO extension on Jan. 26, recused himself from the case following a motion from the NCAA that cited his status as an Alabama Athletics donor. Pruet took over the case on Jan. 28.

In Bediako’s five games played for Alabama on his TRO, he averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. The Crimson Tide went 3-2 in those games, beating Missouri, Texas A&M and Auburn while losing to Tennessee and Florida.

Bediako’s case has sparked widespread controversy in the college basketball world due to his recent history as a professional basketball player. He declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season at Alabama in 2022-23, going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft. He spent the last three seasons with three different G League teams, the Austin Spurs, the Grand Rapids Gold, and most recently the Motor City Cruise.

“First of all, the system’s clearly broken, and I’m all for figuring out a way to fix it,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said on Jan. 23 before Bediako’s debut. “But since the NCAA has already allowed professionals to play and virtually every team we’ve played this year or will play has a former professional player on the roster, you tell me how I’m supposed to tell Charles and the team that we’re not gonna support them when he’s been deemed legally eligible to play.

“So, Charles is still within his five-year window. He’s 23 years old. He’s pursuing his degree here at Alabama. We’ve got our roster spot open, so this is not taking any opportunities away from a high school recruit or anybody else. Charles shouldn’t be punished for choosing to go the academic route out of high school, rather than the professional route like the international players did.”

On Thursday, the day before the hearing, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey filed an affidavit in opposition to Bediako’s pursuit of eligibility.

“Inconsistent application of the NCAA eligibility rules challenged in this case – through court rulings or otherwise – fuels disruption in college sports,” Sankey wrote in the filing.

With the ruling, Bediako’s eligibility is now expired. Alabama’s first game without him will be Wednesday night’s road game against Ole Miss. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and will air on SEC Network.

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