• After years of legal losses, shortsighted decisions and resistance to change, college sports is dealing with the predictable consequences and acting stunned by the result.

This is hilarious. Now we’ve reached the point of no return. 

Now.

Not when universities hoarded media rights cash for decades, before finally being forced by the courts to share with players.

Not when universities stole a year of eligibility from transferring players for decades, before finally being forced by the courts to allow free movement.

Not when the NCAA for decades made random decisions regarding specific, significant bylaws, before being forced by the courts to change course. 

So now that yet another hometown judge in another case against the NCAA on Wednesday forced college sports’ governing body to again see the error of its ways ― now that the NFL and college football are essentially competing for players ― now it’s a bridge too far?

Where have you people been for the past five years? 

Better yet, where were the current (and latest) group of whiners decrying it’s all “unsustainable” when the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, decided weeks ago to choose and picks sides — and declare which players from the 2022 class could be grandfathered in to the new five years to play five seasons rule, and which couldn’t?

Until, of course, a Louisiana judge said are you out of your mind? You can’t give some players a fifth season, and exclude others. 

I’m paraphrasing, of course, but that’s about how it has unfolded for the NCAA in nearly every single court case of the NIL era. They make a dumb decision based on pre-NIL era thinking — where the NCAA had the upper hand in just about every argument — and the courts ride in on their white horse and save the day by denying it. 

My god, these men and women of higher dictation, these elite of academia leading the NCAA, can’t be this shortsighted. They simply can’t be this attached to the days and ways of the past. 

And I’m not talking about the actual NIL era explosion. I’m talking about legal arguments. 

Used to be the NCAA used the Dean Smith plan — the four corners basketball stall — when dealing with any and all legal issues. They’d paper to death any defendant, hoping to drain them of funds so they’d give up and/or settle out of court. And it worked for ages. 

Until, that is, the NCAA decided in 2021 that allowing athletes to earn off their name, image and likeness was a smarter move than sharing media rights revenue. Someone, somewhere, decided athletes wouldn’t eventually come for the media rights billions because they’d have the ability earn NIL funds. 

Only those NIL funds suddenly became the “big money” — in addition to the universities being forced to share media rights revenue — and it’s impacting every structural and financial aspect of the organization. Every move the NCAA has made since 2021, since the states of California and Florida passed laws allowing athletes to earn NIL money and forced the NCAA’s hand, has been an utter disaster for the future of the organization.

And now we’re shocked that 16 players in a Louisiana court were given the ability to return to college football — even though some are currently on NFL training camp rosters. Is that really more ridiculous, more unthinkable, than anything else over the past five years?

This nonsense won’t end here, and certainly won’t end at some point next month when Congress returns from its summer break and attempts to work together to pass the Protect College Sports Act — which may or may not protect college sports, anyway. To say nothing of getting a majority in the House and Senate to pass the damn thing. 

The problem now is the same problem five years ago when the NCAA first rolled out NIL without a plan, and hoped for the best. They rolled the snowball from the top of the mountain, and didn’t think it would gain steam — and get bigger and bigger and unwieldy — on the way down.

Now here we are, and college football teams are financially competing with NFL teams for players. If you think it’s going to end here, you’re wildly mistaken. 

Because once the door opens for players to leave for the NFL and come back, the next logical move is a local judge allowing future players with eligibility to return to college football if they don’t make an NFL roster. 

All because the brilliant minds of academia are afraid of collective bargaining. 

Now that’s hilarious. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.