Chambliss Sues NCAA in Lafayette County to Seek Sixth Year Injunction

Lawyers for Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss filed suit in the Chancery Court of Lafayette County on January 16, 2026, asking a judge to grant preliminary and permanent injunctions that would allow him to play a sixth year of college football. The filing follows the NCAA’s denial of Chambliss’ medical-clock extension waiver on January 9, a decision the lawsuit says was made in bad faith and without fair application of the association’s criteria.

The NCAA said the schools involved did not provide contemporaneous medical documentation from a treating physician showing an incapacitating illness or injury during the 2022 season. Chambliss and Ole Miss contend he missed the 2022 season because of respiratory problems, including chronic tonsillitis, adenoiditis and post-COVID complications that prevented him from training and competing consistently. The complaint includes physician letters and statements from staff at Chambliss’ previous school, Ferris State, as exhibits to support the claim that the documentation exists and was not given proper weight.

Putting the case in Lafayette County court takes the dispute to a local forum that can award injunctions under Mississippi law while Ole Miss continues its appeal with the NCAA. That parallel track raises practical questions for the community: if a judge grants an injunction, Chambliss could be cleared to play pending the outcome of appeals; if not, his eligibility could hinge on the NCAA process alone. Chambliss led Ole Miss to a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance in January 2026 and has expressed a desire to play another college season, so the legal outcome has immediate implications for the upcoming football calendar and for local businesses that rely on game-day traffic.

Beyond sports and local commerce, the case highlights public health and healthcare policy issues relevant to Lafayette County residents. The dispute centers on what counts as adequate medical evidence, how post-COVID complications are recognized, and how documentation is shared when athletes transfer between institutions. Players from smaller programs or from areas with limited access to specialty care may face barriers obtaining contemporaneous treating-physician records, creating potential equity concerns in waiver processes that affect student-athletes’ careers.

The lawsuit also raises privacy and medical-record questions for athletes, whose health histories are sensitive yet central to eligibility decisions. Local health providers and university medical staff may be drawn in as the court reviews submitted exhibits and examines whether administrative procedures were followed.

For Lafayette County, the legal fight over Chambliss’ eligibility is more than a sideline controversy. It tests how institutions, governing bodies and courts handle medical evidence, fairness and the livelihoods of student-athletes. The chancery court will now determine whether to block the NCAA’s denial while appeals proceed, and that decision will shape both the roster at Ole Miss and broader conversations here about access to care and institutional accountability.