Judge grants injunction allowing LSU to add former NFL players amid SEC lawsuit
A Louisiana judge issued a preliminary injunction permitting LSU to roster two former NFL players, while the SEC filed a separate federal suit to enforce its penalties against such moves.
A federal judge in Baton Rouge issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday that allows Louisiana State University to add two former NFL players to its football roster. The order applies only to the athletes named in the lawsuit, which was brought by former collegiate players against the NCAA and the SEC.
Judge William Jorden also barred LSU from taking any action that would impede the plaintiffs’ pursuit of a fifth season of college eligibility, a request made by the plaintiffs’ counsel to protect the university while it complies with the court’s directive.
The decision comes as the SEC launched a separate lawsuit in an Alabama federal court, accusing LSU, its athletic director Verge Ausberry and head coach Lane Kiffin of orchestrating the legal challenge. The conference seeks to enforce penalties it adopted after the judge’s earlier temporary restraining order, including fines equal to half of a sport’s budget and a half-season suspension for a coach.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey testified that the conference’s rule against former professionals joining member schools predates LSU’s actions and is based on NCAA guidance. He said the rule was approved by SEC members last week.
The two athletes, tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, both former Ole Miss players, testified that they received minimal compensation during brief NFL preseason stints and were injured during their senior college seasons.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs, while attorneys general from Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi backed the SEC. Governor Jeff Landry criticized the characterization of the athletes as “NFL players,” arguing they were simply college athletes seeking a final year of eligibility.
The SEC’s federal suit aims to obtain legal protection to enforce its penalties against any member institution that violates the rule, which could conflict with the Louisiana court order.