Jay Bilas Slams NCAA’s Suspension Of Yoeli Childs During BYU/Kansas Game

SALT LAKE CITY – When BYU basketball announced back in August that senior forward Yoeli Childs was suspended for nine games by the NCAA, Cougar fans everywhere were upset. With all the scandals that take place in college basketball, Childs and BYU land an excessive suspension over a paperwork issue?

One of Childs’ games that he has now missed because of the nine-game suspension was BYU’s game against No. 4 Kansas on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, who’s never shy about calling out the NCAA, was on the broadcast for BYU-Kansas along with play-by-play announcer Dan Shulman. Childs and his NCAA suspension was a topic early in the broadcast from the island of Maui.

“Among the dumb suspensions the @NCAA hands out, the suspension of Yoeli Childs has to be the dumbest.”

– Jay Bilas, a man who is correct

— Will Maupin (@willmaup) November 27, 2019

“This BYU team will be so much better when they get Yoeli Childs back,” said Bilas. “Among the dumb suspensions that the NCAA hands out, the suspension of Yoeli Childs has to be the dumbest. Just really stupid for him to have to sit out even a minute.”

Later in the first half, ESPN aired a segment called “94-feet with Bilas.” Bilas interviewed Childs for on the beach. You can watch the interview below.

94 Ft. with @JayBilas #BYUhoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/BLV0tENSMf

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) November 24, 2019

After the interview aired, Bilas was complimentary towards Childs, “He is an unbelievably nice young man, he’s almost Canadian he’s so nice. What a nice young man.” Dan Shulman then brought up BYU’s upcoming schedule and highlighted that Childs will return next week for a key stretch of the games to which Bilas replied with another strong take at the NCAA.

“What a deterrent by the NCAA though. The line they’ve drawn in the sand to keep the model student-athlete from playing because he had the audacity to go for a job interview.”

When Bilas said that, BYU fans everywhere likely rejoiced and said, thank you!

Bilas hasn’t been the only one to voice displeasure with the NCAA for suspending Childs. Bill Walton expressed his dissatisfaction with the NCAA sidelining BYU’s top player on Monday night during the Cougars win over UCLA.

Jay Bilas on Yoeli Childs' suspension: "What a deterrent by the NCAA for the line they've drawn in the sand. To keep the model student-athlete from playing because he had the audacity to apply for a job interview."#BYU #BYUhoops #KSLsports

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 27, 2019

With seven games down, there are only two more games to go in Childs’ nine-game suspension. But it’s hard to ignore the opportunity the faceless and nameless people from the NCAA took from Childs on Tuesday night. BYU won’t have another game against a college basketball blue blood and there won’t be another frontcourt with the size and talent that Kansas had for Childs to show his elite skills against.

BYU is 4-3 in the seven games without Childs.

The next game the Cougars will have to play without their star is against Virginia Tech from the ACC. Tip-off on Wednesday night is at 9:30 p.m. (MT) and can be seen on ESPN2 and heard on KSL NewsRadio.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.