Joe Judge, the former Giants coach and current Ole Miss assistant. was testifying in court to help his quarterback, Trinadad Chambliss, become eligible, and he dropped a quote that belongs in the Hall of Fame of "Football Guy" moments.
He was explaining why football players need to be completely locked in during the season, even if they have kids. And then he said this:
"He needs to be in another room, detached… he ain’t waking up for midnight feedings."
I mean... wow, that is not going to go over very well in the home. If you are a parent, you know exactly how that line lands. If you try telling your wife that you are "detached" and sleeping in another room because of work, good luck to you, hope you like sleeping on the coach.
But Judge said it with a straight face in a court of law.
The wild west of eligibility
The craziest part? It worked. A Mississippi judge granted the injunction yesterday, meaning Trinidad Chambliss is now eligible to play for Ole Miss in 2026 unless a higher court decides to take it and rule differently. And this is where the NCAA is in a total freefall.
The line between what the NCAA wants and what it usually gets is deep. You have 24-year-olds coming back to play college sports; sometimes they are given an exception, and sometimes they are declined. But there needs to be a reformed set of standards that is just cut and dry for everyone. Just look at the level of inconsistency:
- James Nnaji: Got drafted 31st overall, played professionally in Europe, but is somehow eligible to play for Baylor right now.
- Charles Bediako: Played for Alabama, went undrafted, played in the G-League, tried to come back, got a temporary order to play, and then a judge ruled him ineligible and shut his season down.
Now you have Chambliss suing his way onto the field because he didn't like the NCAA's answer. Nobody knows what the rules are now, and that is a real problem. Is it signing a contract? Is it hiring an agent? Or is it just "who has the better lawyer in their local court?"
Joe Judge thinks players shouldn't wake up for midnight feedings. The NCAA thinks it can still enforce rules. Both of them seem pretty detached from reality right now.
But hey, if you are an Ole Miss fan, you got your quarterback back. Just don't ask him to change a diaper until February.