Thursday’s hearing in the Trinidad Chambliss eligibility case included some interesting testimony from Ole Miss assistant coach (and former Giants head coach) Joe Judge.
Chambliss pointed to 2022 respiratory issues in an effort to secure a medical redshirt for that season. Chambliss’s lawyers wanted to show that his respiratory issues impacted his sleep, which in turn affected his performance. Judge, then, was asked about the importance of sleep to a college football player.
It went from there.
“We would have to educate significant others who may have been pregnant during the season, or were going to have a baby during the season,” Judge said. “And you would have to educate them on, you have this baby in the middle of the season, that father has to play good football. And 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.’ After the season, he’s full metal jacket. He can change every diaper, but in season, he’s got to have a different priority.”
The testimony prompted Judge’s former boss, new LSU coach Lane Kiffin, to repost the video of Judge’s testimony with the word “Joe” and a facepalm emoji. (Kiffin later deleted the tweet.)
The vibe is distinctly old school, potentially something Judge picked up during his decade of working with Bill Belichick. And while sleep is important for high-level athletes (and everyone else, frankly), certain things take priority.
The fact that Judge believes what he said highlights the control college football coaches exert over their players and their lives. It also underscores the unwillingness to solve the current chaos in college football with a nationwide union of players.
Although the institutions would gain a much-needed antitrust exemption from the creation of a multi-employer bargaining unit, the union would fight for greater protection against heavy-handed tactics and expectations, like believing it’s proper and appropriate for a coach to instruct a new mother that a player must be shielded from participating in the overnight care and feeding of an infant.
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