Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey has made his stance crystal clear in the ongoing eligibility battle surrounding Alabama big man Charles Bediako - and it’s not the one Crimson Tide fans were hoping for.
In a four-page affidavit submitted to the court, Sankey backed the NCAA and its eligibility rules, urging the court to uphold the governing body’s decision to keep Bediako sidelined. It’s a significant move, not just because of the player involved, but because it places the SEC’s top official at odds with one of the conference’s most prominent programs.
“I respectfully ask the Court to uphold the NCAA eligibility rules challenged in this case,” Sankey wrote, “which are essential to the integrity of college sports, to the educational mission they serve, and to the opportunities they provide for current and future student-athletes.”
That’s a strong, unequivocal statement - and one that underscores the broader stakes here. This isn’t just about one player or one program.
Sankey is making a case for the structure and principles that underpin college athletics as a whole. His affidavit reads less like a legal document and more like a line in the sand: the rules matter, and bending them for one case could unravel the entire system.
For Alabama, it’s a tough pill to swallow. Bediako, a key piece for the Tide, has been caught in the eligibility crosshairs, and the program had hoped for a favorable ruling that would put him back on the court. But with Sankey stepping in on the side of the NCAA, the path to reinstatement just got steeper.
This also puts the SEC in a delicate position. It’s not often you see a conference commissioner publicly oppose one of his own schools in such a high-stakes situation. But Sankey’s move signals that, at least in his view, preserving the NCAA’s authority and the long-term health of college sports takes precedence over any one team’s short-term roster concerns.
At the heart of this case is a question that’s becoming more and more common in the current college sports landscape: Where do we draw the line between athlete empowerment and institutional structure? Sankey, in no uncertain terms, believes that line still needs to be drawn firmly - and that the NCAA’s eligibility rules are a key part of that foundation.
Whether the court agrees remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the SEC commissioner isn’t staying on the sidelines. He’s made his play, and it’s one that could have ripple effects far beyond Tuscaloosa.