Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was deep in the running to be the cover athlete of the highly anticipated EA Sports video game College Football 27, but the possibility that he might not be able to compete in the upcoming season upended the deal, a legal filing in the Lafayette County Court suggests.
The plot thickened in a layered battle between the NCAA and Chambliss on Thursday, when the star Rebel football player’s legal team filed an amended petition for permanent injunctive relief, this time with punitive damages cited. In the document, the quarterback’s lawyers contend that Chambliss was engaged in negotiations with EA Sports, and as of March 6, was one of three players — if not the favorite — set to be on the cover of the upcoming video game.
According to his legal counsel, Chambliss was set to receive financial compensation through a name, image, and likeness deal linked to being on the cover of the game. The prospect of him landing the deal, however, fell through on Monday, with EA Sports leadership saying it “couldn’t stomach the risk” of Chambliss somehow being deemed ineligible.
“Trinidad was one of three college football players, if not EA Sports’ favored player, to whom EA Sports was prepared to offer the cover of its upcoming College Football video game,” a portion of the legal filing reads. “In addition to the NIL compensation, which Trinidad would have received for being featured on the cover, Trinidad would have enjoyed heightened notoriety and prestige since the cover shot is considered an honor in college football and in the gaming community.
“Appearing on the cover would have created organic publicity for Trinidad, enhancing both his marketability and publicity rights. Being on the cover would have been personally meaningful to Trinidad, who could have shown his cover photo to potential employers and even his children and grandchildren.”
Ole Miss sought a waiver from the NCAA to grant Chambliss an extra year of eligibility on three different occasions and was denied each time. Chambliss is going into his sixth year of college but has only played three seasons and believes he is entitled to a fourth. He redshirted at Division II Ferris State in 2021 and sought a retroactive medical redshirt for the 2022 campaign, arguing that he could not compete due to an ongoing battle with chronic tonsillitis and other ailments.
The NCAA maintained its stance that Chambliss had exhausted his allotted four playing seasons while insisting that his representation did not provide sufficient medical evidence to support the notion that he was unable to perform in 2022. After being denied another year by college athletics’ governing body, Chambliss hired The Grove Collective founder William Liston and prominent sports attorney Tom Mars to help him take his case to court.
The attorneys filed a petition for injunctive relief in Lafayette County, and a hearing took place in Calhoun County on Feb. 12. An hours-long affair ended with Judge Robert Whitwell reading a lengthy verdict outlining his belief that the NCAA had failed Ole Miss as a member institution and Chambliss as a student-athlete in giving fair consideration to the waiver request. Whitwell ultimately granted Chambliss a preliminary injunction, allowing him to play unless a higher court rules otherwise.
Since then, the NCAA has called on the Mississippi Supreme Court to review Whitwell’s ruling before the upcoming season in a last-ditch effort to have the judge’s decision overturned. It is worth noting that six of Mississippi’s seven supreme court justices went to Ole Miss in some academic capacity.
In an unexpected revelation, Chambliss’ team countered with a blow that could be quite costly to the NCAA if acted upon by the courts. The attorneys, in Friday’s filing, assert that Chambliss is owed significant compensation from the association totaling the amount he potentially lost in NIL earnings from the EA Sports deal and the cost of damages to his brand, along with emotional distress and costs of legal fees and expenses linked to the ongoing litigation process.
“In the event of evidence developed in the course of discovery in this action demonstrating the NCAA acted with malice, gross negligence, or in reckless disregard for Trinidad’s rights, Trinidad hereby seeks an award of punitive damages of and from the NCAA,” the filing further reads. “In the event of an award of punitive damages in favor of Trinidad and against the NCAA, Trinidad hereby seeks an award of his attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred in this action.”
Chambliss was one of the biggest surprises, if not the biggest surprise, of the 2024-25 season. After winning a national championship at Ferris State the year before, Chambliss transferred to Ole Miss to back up now-Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons. A week-two injury to Simmons found the Division II transfer with the keys to former head coach Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.’s offense.
From there, he thrived, leading the Rebels to an 11-2 record as a starter, including the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, with a round one win over Tulane and a thrilling Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia, before the season ended in a 31-27 loss to national title runner-up Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
Before getting the preliminary injunction in court, Chambliss committed to playing one more year at Ole Miss, this time under the leadership of defensive coordinator turned head coach Pete Golding. Chambliss is reportedly earning NIL compensation from Ole Miss totaling close to to $6 million. The Rebels will begin the 2026-27 campaign versus Louisville in Nashville on Sept. 6.