LSU has finalized its 105-player roster for the upcoming season, notably excluding former Ole Miss players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who are at the center of a legal dispute involving the university and the Southeastern Conference. The decision was made the night before the SEC was scheduled to ask a federal judge in Alabama for a temporary restraining order.
Wright and Harris amended their complaints to include the SEC as a defendant. A judge had previously granted the players an injunction following a hearing where SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey testified. The SEC subsequently filed its own lawsuit against LSU, coach Lane Kiffin, athletic director Verge Ausberry, and other members of the athletic department.
In its filing, the SEC stated its intention to "defend that right and preserve the Conference’s ability to govern competition among its members." The conference is seeking the ability to enforce its rules regarding professional athletes returning to college sports and to potentially penalize LSU for its actions throughout the ordeal.
SEC filings also expressed concern that LSU's administration "have no meaningful control over Defendant Kiffin or the football program at LSU," citing a "demonstrated lack of institutional control at the University level."
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin addressed the decision to not add the players, referencing his relationship with Wright. "I've been criticized heavily the last two weeks and I get that. I understand that. But my job is not to please you and worry about what you're going to write. My job is what I believe is right, and I believe we were fighting for what was right for those kids," Kiffin said. He noted that Wright had previously shown loyalty by encouraging him to stay at Ole Miss.
A hearing is still scheduled in Birmingham, Alabama, where the SEC aims to secure the temporary restraining order.