Joe Judge’s Controversial Testimony in Chambliss Lawsuit
During his testimony on Thursday in the lawsuit filed by Trinidad Chambliss against the NCAA, Joe Judge likely didn’t aim to win over new parents. As an assistant coach at Ole Miss, he was the second witness called to speak about how sleep affects athletic performance, a key part of Chambliss’ claim that respiratory issues kept him from resting well.
Chambliss was hoping for a medical redshirt for the 2022 season to push his eligibility to play until 2026.
In a Mississippi courtroom, Judge, who previously coached the Giants for two seasons, detailed how the team informs its players about the critical nature of sleep. He pointed to the situation of new fathers in the NFL as a way to stress the importance of candid discussions with players and their families.
The coach stated, “We need to educate loved ones who may have been pregnant during the season or were expecting. If a baby arrives in the middle of the season, the father still needs to deliver on the field,” noting that this viewpoint isn’t always popular.
He elaborated, “It’s a day-to-day job, and he has to be ready to play. When I say that, it means he should be resting in another room, away from interruptions. You have to tell the mother, ‘Look, he can’t be up for midnight feedings.’”
Judge concluded by mentioning that once the season wraps up, players can atone for their absence at home while focusing on football during the season. “He’s like Full Metal Jacket. You can ask a lot from him, but he has to prioritize football.”
This remark quickly circulated online, prompting Lane Kiffin, former head coach at Ole Miss and now head coach at LSU, to react with a facepalm emoji on social media.
That post has since been removed.
In a notable development on the same day, a judge in Mississippi granted Chambliss a preliminary injunction, allowing him an extra year of eligibility. Judge Robert Whitwell, an Ole Miss alumnus, determined that Chambliss fulfilled the criteria for a six-year medical redshirt, rejecting most of the NCAA’s arguments.
