U.S. Olympians Finish Strong; NCAA Loses Again; Rashada Settles; Sac State Spends Big

The overall U.S. Olympic medal count in Milan /Cortina may be somewhat disappointing, but America finished on a high note with gold medal performances by figure skater Alysa Liu and the men's and women's hockey teams.

Liu's sensational, joyful program was America's first gold-medal effort by a woman since 2002. The East Bay native had recently returned after a two-year hiatus from the sport. She joins two other Bay Area icons--Peggy Fleming and Kristi Yamiguchi--in U.S. Olympic annals.

In hockey, in a lovely piece of synchronicity, both U.S. teams defeated archrival Canada for the gold medal, both winning 2-1, both winning in overtime. 

On Thursday, the women scored with two minutes remaining to tie the game, then won it in overtime on an incredible "Golden Goal" by Megan Keller. Then, on Sunday, the men upset Canada to garner the first U.S. hockey gold medal since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice."

Jack Hughes (above) scored the winner in overtime and Connor Hellebuyck turned away 41 of Canada's 42 shots on goal in a masterful performance. They join 1980 heroes Mike Eruzione and Jim Craig in all time Olympic hockey lore.

Bravo!

NCAA Loses Again: By now it's hardly surprising when the legally challenged NCAA loses a battle in the courtroom, but last week's decision by a judge in Mississippi has to count as one of the most humiliating rebukes the organization has suffered.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who led his team to the CFB Playoff Semifinals last season after transferring from Ferris State, was seeking an additional year of eligibility due to a medical hardship waiver.

During the 2022 season at Ferris State, Chambliss was dealing with respiratory issues, eventually requiring a tonsillectomy. He never suited up, never appeared in a game. His coach, Tony Annese, decided to redshirt him as a result of his illness. 

The court, and previously the NCAA, heard detailed evidence about the state of the tonsils, his slow recovery, and the difficulty he had doing even low-impact daily tasks.

Yet the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, denied Chambliss' application for an extra year of eligibility, then turned him down again on appeal, citing "lack of documentation."

In making his ruling, Judge Robert Whitwell, an Ole Miss alum, let the NCAA have it: "This court is of the opinion that the NCAA fell short of its mission to foster the well-being and development of Trinidad Chambliss...and acted in bad faith. If not for the school's intervention, Trinidad would be permanently and irrevocably deprived of the college football labor market and the culmination of a stellar college career in the 2026 football season."

The NCAA, of course, saw it differently.

"This decision in a state court illustrates the impossible situation created by differing court decisions that serve to undermine rules agreed to by the same NCAA members who later challenge them in court," the NCAA's statement read. "We will continue to defend the NCAA's eligibility rules against repeated attempts to rob future generations of the opportunity to compete in college and experience the life-changing opportunities only college sports can create."

Never mind the fact that NCAA member Ole Miss was precisely following the organization's rules by applying for the medical waiver, which was clearly warranted, and that it was the NCAA--not Ole Miss--that was trying to "rob" Chambliss of his opportunity to compete.

Just another example of how the NCAA is totally out of touch, poorly run, and poorly advised in legal matters.

Some things never change.

Rashada Settles: Well-traveled quarterback Jaden Rashada from Pittsburgh has settled his lawsuit against former Florida coach Billy Nalpier and three other defendants involved in a failed NIL deal worth more than $13 million.

Rashada was one of the most highly recruited players in the country after throwing for 5,275 yards and 59 touchdowns at Pittsburgh H.S. He initially agreed to play with Miami in the fall of 2022, based on the promise of a $9.5 million NIL deal.

But Florida coach Napier and booster Hugh Hathcock (that's not a typo) came at him with a bigger deal, worth over $13 million, and lured Rashada to Gainesville.

After Florida defaulted on payments, the deal fell through and Rashada was granted a release. He then spent 2023 at Arizona State, before transferring again to Georgia in 2024, Sacramento State in 2025, and Mississippi State for 2026.

The sum total of his collegiate playing time since graduating from high school in 2022 is four games at Arizona State in 2023, during which he completed 44 of 82 passes for 485 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He never payed a down for Florida, Georgia or Sac State.

There were no details released on terms of the settlement, but you can bet it was a long, long way from $13M.

How's that working out for you, Jaden?

Sac State Spends Big: As we reported last week, Sacramento State is joining the Mid-American Conference (MAC), a league based primarily in Ohio. The Hornets are paying an $18 million entry fee and an additional $5M fee to the NCAA to gain FBS status.

Two parts of the agreement weren't reported initially. First, Sac State not only must fund its own cross-country travel expenses to play the likes of Ball State, Toledo and Buffalo, but it is paying the travel expenses of the MAC teams who come out to play in Sacramento. Yikes!

Second, the agreement is for a "five-year term," meaning that school president Dr. Luke Wood envisions the MAC as a stepping stone to greener pastures, perhaps the new Pac-12 or the Mountain West.

A very expensive investment based on a five-year plan that might be sheer fantasy.