BOULDER, Colo. -- A judge said Tuesday an Olympic skier who wants to play football for the University of Colorado would be harmed if the NCAA is allowed to sideline him over skiing endorsements, but the judge has not issued a final decision.

Boulder County District Judge Daniel Hale made the comment when he denied the NCAA's request to remove CU as a co-defendant from a lawsuit filed by Jeremy Bloom, who wants to play college football while pursuing corporate support for his skiing career.

Hale heard arguments Tuesday on Bloom's request for an injunction against the NCAA that would allow him to play football while the lawsuit progresses.

Hale also said Tuesday that Bloom might be able to prove he is an exception to NCAA rules. A ruling on the injunction is expected Thursday.

Whether Bloom will be harmed is one factor Hale must consider in whether to grant an injunction. Another is whether the NCAA would be harmed, but Hale said he thinks a ruling could be narrowly tailored to Bloom's case so it would not affect other athletes.

On Tuesday, Bloom's lawyer, Peter Rush, held up a Colorado Buffaloes jersey with a Nike "Swoosh'' logo, and a turtleneck bearing the Under Armour logo that Bloom wore during ski competitions.

He asked Samuel David Burst, the NCAA's Division I chief, to compare the two.

Burst defended company logos on team uniforms, saying the proceeds support schools, not individuals.

He said allowing athletes to sign their own endorsement contracts would drastically change the organization's stance on keeping student athletes amateurs.

Rush argued that the NCAA should not be able to regulate contracts that originated before Bloom became a student-athlete.

"That's the problem, that's the nexus, that's the rub in this case,'' he said. "These rules are for people who got famous under their (the NCAA's) umbrella.''

NCAA rules allow a player to compete professionally in one sport while participating as an amateur in collegiate sport, but players are prohibited from endorsing products based on their athletic ability.

The NCAA has relaxed its definition of amateur athletes from its original "Greek ideal,'' which prohibited even scholarships, but Burst said having a CU player hold up brand-name skiis on an awards podium is prohibited under current NCAA rules.

Bloom's lawyers have argued he needs money from endorsements to support his ski training and travel. Bloom also wants to renew a modeling contract with Tommy Hilfiger clothing.

It was unclear whether CU would play Bloom even if the judge issues an injunction. If the ruling were overturned, CU could face NCAA sanctions for having an ineligible player and could lose television revenues and have game victories overturned.

Bloom practiced with the CU football team Tuesday and did not attend the hearing, but his mother, Char Bloom, was in court.

"So much of my son's future relies on this outcome, and it's hard to leave that in someone else's hands,'' she said.