Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss sues NCAA for extra year of eligibility

Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss sued the NCAA in state court on Friday for an additional year of eligibility so he can play for the Rebels next season.

The suit filed in Lafayette County came a week after the NCAA denied Ole Miss' request for an extra year, saying the university and Chambliss' previous school — Ferris State — failed to provide adequate medical documentation to back up the request.

The lawsuit filed Friday called the NCAA's denial in “bad-faith, unreasonable and arbitrary,” and detailed Chambliss' history of illness and included letters from physicians.

“Despite the duty of good faith and fair dealing it owes to Trinidad, the NCAA insists on considering the evidence in Trinidad's case in an isolated, rather than comprehensive manner; interpreting its rules to impose requirements not contained therein; taking unreasonable if not irrational positions; and acting in an arbitrary and capricious manner in its decision-making and ruling," the suit says.

Ole Miss' arguments revolve around the fact that the 23-year-old Chambliss, although he has been in college for five years, has only played three years of college football because of that medical history.

“Trinidad first enrolled in Ferris State in the fall of 2021, but medical and physical incapacity prevented his ability to adequately train and condition and develop athletically,” the suit says.

After taking a redshirt his first season at Ferris State in 2021-22, Chambliss was held out in his second season for medical reasons.

“Obviously, Trinidad's medical conditions, which rendered him incapable of competing in any game during these years, were beyond his or Ferris State's control,” the suit says.

He played two more seasons at the Division II school in Michigan, leading the Bulldogs to a national championship before transferring to Ole Miss before the start of this season.

Chambliss completed 294 of 445 passes (66.1%) for 3,937 yards with 22 touchdowns and three interceptions for Ole Miss (13-2), which set a school record for wins, including two after making the College Football Playoff for the first time. He ran for 527 yards and eight more TDs.

The Rebels lost 31-27 to Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Jan. 8.

The NCAA, when contacted Friday, did not have a new statement, but referred to its statement from a week ago saying “This decision aligns with consistent application of NCAA rules.”

The NCAA said in that week-old statement that approval of such waivers requires schools to submit medical documentation from a treating physician at the time of a student’s incapacitating injury or illness.

“The documents provided by Ole Miss and the student’s prior school include a physician’s note from a December 2022 visit, which stated the student-athlete was ‘doing very well’ since he was seen in August 2022," the NCAA said. "Additionally, the student-athlete’s prior school indicated it had no documentation on medical treatment, injury reports or medical conditions involving the student-athlete during that time frame and cited ‘developmental needs and our team’s competitive circumstances’ as its reason the student-athlete did not play in the 2022-23 season.”

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter previously said the school will appeal the NCAA’s ruling.

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Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss throws during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal game against Miami, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump this week quietly appointed four new members to the Commission of Fine Arts, one of two federal panels reviewing his plan to build a White House ballroom.

The Republican president has talked about building a White House ballroom for years, and completing the proposed 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) addition would not only forever alter the public face of the mansion but would stand for decades as a lasting legacy to Trump.

One of new members is James McCrery, an architect who had led the now $400 million ballroom project until Trump replaced him late last year. The White House has said the project would be financed with private donations — including from Trump himself — and the East Wing has already been demolished to make space for the ballroom.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction until the fine arts panel and a second federal commission give their approval. The four new members were revealed in court papers filed Thursday by a White House official as part of that lawsuit. The White House did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

The new appointments would give the Commission of Fine Arts a quorum, or enough members to conduct business at a meeting scheduled for Jan. 22, where consideration of what is being called the East Wing Modernization project is on the agenda. The panel had been scheduled to meet this past week, but could not due to the lack of new members.

The commission did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The panel normally has seven members but has been unable to meet for months. Trump dismissed six commissioners last fall after the East Wing was torn down. A seventh commissioner, who was the panel’s chair, had earlier resigned after Trump took office last year because their term had expired.

The White House is tentatively scheduled to formally present the project to the commission on Feb. 19 and March 19, at which time the panel could complete its review, Heather Martin, a deputy assistant to the president, said in the court papers.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has accused the Trump administration of violating federal laws by starting the project before submitting it for independent reviews by the commissions and Congress, as well as the public.

Aside from architect McCrery, who had served on the commission as a Trump appointee from 2019-2024, the commission will include Mary Anne Carter of Tennessee; Roger Kimball of Connecticut; and Matthew Taylor of Washington, D.C.

Carter is chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, a position she also held during Trump’s first term. She is a former staffer to Rick Scott, a former governor of Florida and current U.S. senator from the state. Kimball is an art critic and conservative commentator.

The National Capital Planning Commission, the second federal panel with oversight of construction on federal land, including the White House grounds, heard an initial presentation about the ballroom at its meeting on Jan. 8.

FILE - President Donald Trump, with architect James McCrery, left, surveys the grounds from the roof above the Colonnade that goes to the West Wing of the White House, Aug. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Marine One helicopter is seen on the South Lawn of the White House to transport President Donald Trump to nearby Andrews Air Force Base, as work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House, Tuesday, Jan., 13, 2026, in Washington, where the East Wing once stood. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)