Ole Miss assistant coach and former Giants head coach Joe Judge made waves on Thursday with his testimony in the Trinidad Chambliss eligibility case. Judge is now trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube.
On Friday morning, Judge explained to PFT (in a message sent through PFT Live co-host Chris Simms) that his comments about educating spouses and significant others about the importance of letting players get their sleep when a newborn baby is in the house related to his time with NFL players, not college players. On Saturday, Judge provided a more lengthy statement about the distinction on Twitter.
“Some of my comments from Thursday have been taken out of context, so I’d like to provide some clarity,” Judge said. “In a discussion about Trinidad’s sleep apnea, I was trying to point out the importance that the NFL places on sleep for recovery and performance in addition to the education of balancing family dynamics during the football season.
“These are discussions I was a part of at the professional level from veteran players based on their own experience managing similar situations. These are not discussions we’ve had at the collegiate level. As a husband and father of four children, I understand those challenges first hand and would never diminish the commitment to family. We share that same dedication to family with our players and always support them through any challenges they face in their personal lives.”
The most obvious response to Judge’s clarification is this: If his comments had no relevance to college athletes, why did he say what he said within the context of testimony in a case about the eligibility of a college football player?
Beyond that, Judge’s explanation that he would never diminish the commitment to family ignores the fact that, at the NFL level, he did.
The bigger point is this. Judge was working with Chambliss’s lawyers in an effort to help him secure an extra year of eligibility. Ole Miss wants him back for another year, so that he can help them win as many games as possible. Judge, as a result, said what he believed he needed to say in order to make the case that the sleep issues arises arising from Chambliss’s respiratory problem should qualify for a medical redshirt as to his 2022 season at Ferris State.
It was a strategy, a calculation aimed at helping Ole Mis get the player they want. In lieu of telling Chambliss’s lawyers that making the point about shielding NFL players from responsibility to care for newborns during football season was a bridge too far, Judge was all in with whatever it took to help win the case.
Judge is now trying to have it both ways. He made the point he made to help Ole Miss get Chambliss for another year. Now, Judge wants to avoid the consequences of what he said by saying he never said anything like that to college players, only NFL players.
It would be better for Judge to just accept the win in the Chambliss case and take the heat for what he said. Judge told the court the story about football players and infants and sleep because he thought it would help Ole Miss get Chambliss for the 2026 season. It worked. It’s now too late for Judge to try to say he didn’t say what he said.
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