The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is escalating its legal conflict with Louisiana State University (LSU), taking steps that could lead to the school's expulsion from the conference. The SEC filed an amendment to its federal lawsuit against LSU in Alabama, announcing a meeting scheduled for Thursday to vote on terminating LSU's membership.
According to SEC rules, a vote requiring at least two-thirds of all university presidents is necessary to expel a member institution. The conference stated that "a commitment to those rules, and to the core principles of the Southeastern Conference, is an essential element of SEC membership." The SEC further asserted that "today's filing is necessary to defend that right and preserve the Conference's ability to govern competition among its members."
The conference's legal action also cites comments made by LSU coach Lane Kiffin during the team's victory over Clemson. In a halftime interview, Kiffin remarked, "Imagine if we had pro players." The amended complaint alleges that these comments "stand in sharp contrast to the silence by the President and Athletic Director of LSU" and "confirm the lack of institutional control over the athletics program at LSU."
This intensified legal fight follows a preliminary injunction issued by a Louisiana judge that allows LSU to potentially include former NFL players on its roster. East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden's ruling preceded LSU's submission of its roster to the SEC, leading the school to initially omit former NFL players like Zxavian Harris and Dae´Quan Wright. An attorney for the athletes involved, Tony Clayton, stated, "It's not about coach Kiffin. It's not about LSU. It's about treating these kids fairly."
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey testified in a hearing last week, defending the league's authority to enforce rules against former professionals returning to college sports. Sankey argued that "the line between professional sports and college sports needs to be maintained" and highlighted concerns about roster spots being taken from incoming athletes. He also stated that SEC university presidents had voted 15-0 in favor of new penalties, including significant fines and coach suspensions, with LSU abstaining from the vote.
LSU athletes who signed professional contracts have argued that they did so before current NCAA rules, which would have permitted another college season, were adopted. The SEC contends that its lawsuit aims to enforce its member institutions' compliance with conference rules and that LSU has "waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes."