The battle brewing between LSU and the SEC is heating up.
Ahead of an anticipated court hearing Thursday in Louisana, the SEC and its members are weighing all possible outcomes, including possible forfeiture of games, a legal challenge in federal court and even possible expulsion, sources told CBS Sports. Yahoo Sports reported earlier Monday that possible boycotts were also being discussed. Expulsion is considered extremely, extremely unlikely but speaks to the level of frustration within the conference that it has even been uttered.
It's the latest escalation in a fascinating standoff between the SEC and one of its members. If you need a refresher, it stems from LSU's decision to add three former professional football players, two of whom played for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss last season, to this year's roster. The players, as part of a larger group of more than 40 athletes, won a temporary restraining order from a Baton Rouge judge that allows them to return to college football and benefit from a new five years of eligibility in five seasons rule change that excluded the class of 2022. The ruling prohibited the NCAA from enforcing its rules on eligibility and professional athletes.
As CBS Sports first reported last week, LSU reached out to multiple players on NFL rosters or their representatives to urge them to file a lawsuit against the NCAA and return to school, according to sources. This includes some of the players who ended up in a Louisiana lawsuit challenging the NCAA's ruling, which sources have pointed out wasn't tried in Baton Rouge by accident.
The SEC – along with the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 – then passed a rule that banned professional football players from returning to the collegiate ranks. Additionally, the SEC's presidents and chancellors gave commissioner Greg Sankey full power to dole out punishments related to violating the rules, in addition to suspending a head coach for up to half the season and fining a program as much as 50 percent of its operating costs. The final formal vote within the SEC was 15-0, with LSU notably abstaining.
The lawyers for those impacted athletes, in turn, added the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey to the lawsuit to prevent the conference from enforcing its rules. The SEC's intraconference transfer rules prevent a player from transferring from one SEC institution to another outside of the transfer portal windows, as Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris are attempting to do.
In a statement to CBS Sports on Sunday, the conference said it would comply with the order but fight to enforce its rules.
"The order entered against the SEC and Commissioner Sankey is a temporary restraining order, not a final ruling on the merits," the conference said in a statement. "The SEC and Commissioner Sankey are prepared to contest the allegations in the plaintiffs' petition at Thursday morning's hearing and defend the SEC's rights as a voluntary association to fulfill its mission to its member institutions."
Even if LSU and the athletes are victorious on Thursday, the fight won't be over. In fact, multiple SEC sources indicated confidence that, with a number of options available to the league, it would eventually end with those players becoming ineligible. The College Football Playoff is also weighing a possible playoff ban on any school that plays a former professional athlete who isn't eligible under NCAA rules, according to sources.
The looming question is how far LSU is willing to go and what could be the eventual penalties if the school disobeys the conference ban. On Monday, Kiffin said he would "absolutely" follow the SEC's rules if the court order was reversed.
"All we're waiting for is clarity this week from the SEC, which they can't give final clarity until Thursday's ruling," Kiffin said. "We are waiting for final clearance and guidelines from the SEC. I have been in communication daily with the SEC to make sure we're complying with the SEC rules."
Kiffin has been in frequent communication with Louisiana governor Jeff Landry, according to sources, and there is a belief amongst at least some SEC sources that Landry is a primary driving force in the escalating battle. A request for comment from Landry's office went unreturned last week but he told Front Office Sports, in part, "This whole thing is ridiculous. Don't hate the player, hate the game."
LSU must set its final roster on Friday, one game before an anticipated game against Clemson. Whether the three former NFL players are on the roster -- Dae'Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris and Junior Tuihalamaka -- could prompt serious fireworks within the SEC.
