Joe Judge probably wasn’t making any new mothers happy when he took the witness stand Thursday and said the most-talked-about piece of testimony in a hearing part of Trinidad Chambliss’ lawsuit against the NCAA.

Judge, an assistant coach at Ole Miss, was the second witness of the day and was brought up to discuss the impact sleep can have on an athlete’s performance, since part of Chambliss’ case claimed that respiratory issues kept him from sleeping well.

 

 

 

Chambliss has been seeking a medical redshirt for the 2022 season in order to extend his eligibility to allow him to play in 2026.

During his testimony in the Mississippi court, Judge, who spent two seasons as the Giants’ head coach, was asked to explain how teams educate players on the importance of sleep.

 

 

 

Judge used the example of a player who was a new father in the NFL, and how he needed to have some tough talks with players and their families.

“We’d have to educate significant others who may have been pregnant during the season or were going to have a baby during the season. And you’d have to educate them on, you have this baby in the middle of the season, that father has to play good football,” Judge said, after acknowledging that it would be an unpopular opinion.

 

 

 

“It’s a day-by-day production business. He has to be ready to perform and go out there and play. And when I say that is, you need to let him sleep. He needs to be in the other room, detached. You have to explain to the mother, hey listen, he ain’t waking up for midnight feedings.”

Judge added at the end that after the season, the player can make up for not helping out while the football season was going on.

 

 

 

“He is full metal jacket. You can do whatever you want with him,” Judge said. “He can change very diaper, but in season, he’s got to have a different priority.”

Naturally, the internet took hold of the comments, even leading to Lane Kiffin, the former Ole Miss coach and current LSU head coach, to post a facepalm emoji on his X account.

Joe JudgeJoe Judge

The post has since been deleted.

The Mississippi judge allowed Chambliss an extra year of eligibility, granting his request for a preliminary injunction on Thursday.

 

 

 

Judge Robert Whitwell, who received his juris doctor from Ole Miss in 1972, determined Chambliss met the requirements to receive a medical redshirt for a sixth year, striking down nearly all of what the NCAA had attempted to argue.