SEC to convene Thursday meeting on possible expulsion of LSU over NFL-player roster rule

The Southeastern Conference announced that its presidents and chancellors will meet Thursday to discuss the possible removal of Louisiana State University from the league. The discussion follows a federal judge’s order that temporarily halted the SEC’s attempt to enforce a rule prohibiting teams from reinstating players with prior NFL experience.

The SEC filed a lawsuit last week seeking a temporary restraining order to stop LSU from interfering with the upcoming meeting. A two-thirds vote of the conference’s chief executives would be required to expel LSU, a founding member since 1933.

Commissioner Greg Sankey, in a declaration attached to the filing, said the consensus among school leaders is that LSU’s continued membership would conflict with the conference’s publicly stated values, even if the university does not add former NFL players to its roster. He added that presidents were concerned LSU President Wade Rousse and Athletic Director Verge Ausberry lack “meaningful control” over head coach Lane Kiffin and the football program.

"The consensus ... was and continues to be that LSU’s continued membership in the conference would be inconsistent with the publicly stated values and principles of the conference and its remaining member institutions," Sankey wrote.

The SEC’s rule, which bars teams from reinstating former NFL players, was blocked by a Baton Rouge judge last Friday. The decision was praised by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, who described the SEC’s lawsuit as “legal garbage.”

Two former NFL players, Zxavian Harris and Dae’Quan Wright, have been practicing with LSU but were not placed on the roster for the team’s recent 51-10 win over Clemson. The SEC noted that two roster spots remain open should LSU decide to add them.

In a statement, the SEC said it has the right to set rules and that “a commitment to those rules and to the core principles of the Southeastern Conference is an essential element of SEC membership.” The filing, the conference said, is intended to defend that right and preserve its ability to govern competition among members.