Ole Miss quarterbacks coach Joe Judge made controversial remarks on Friday when serving as a witness in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss’ eligibility hearing.
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Judge made crude comments based on his experience as a coach in the NFL, where teams would “educate” pregnant mothers that they needed to take care of parental duties during the night because of the effects sleep deprivation could have on football athletes.
“This is always a tough conversation to have,” Judge said, via the New York Post. “It’s not going to be a popular opinion, but this is the truth. 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. 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, 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.”
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Not surprisingly, Judge’s blunt comments caused quite a stir.
On his X account, Judge released a statement Saturday to clarify what he meant in the hearing.
“Some of my comments from Thursday have been taken out of context, so I’d like to provide some clarity,” Judge wrote. “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.”
Judge claimed he’s never had those types of conversations with student athletes.
“These are discussions I was a part of at the professional level from veteran players based on their own experience managing similar situations,” he wrote. “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.”
Student athletes face other issues besides family that can take away from football. Schoolwork requires time outside of the football facility.
NFL athletes don’t have to worry about school, as football is a full-time occupation. But they do have to balance family matters.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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