SEC to vote on LSU membership amid dispute over former NFL players

The SEC’s presidents and chancellors are set to meet Thursday to vote on LSU’s continued membership in the conference. The meeting follows a dispute in which LSU sought to add former Ole Miss players who had signed NFL contracts, a move the league says violates its rules.

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction allowing the players to compete, but LSU did not place either on its roster for its season-opening win over Clemson. The conference has already adopted a rule barring players who have signed professional contracts from returning to SEC rosters and has outlined penalties that could include a half-season suspension for a head coach and a fine equal to half of a football program’s operating budget.

Sports columnist Matt Hayes, writing for USA Today, expects LSU to survive the vote but predicts the conference will impose a “massive fine” on the university and suspend head coach Lane Kiffin for multiple games. He added that the SEC would likely warn that any further violations could lead to expulsion.

"LSU coach Lane Kiffin will be suspended multiple games, and the university will be hit with a massive fine," Hayes wrote.

Hayes also noted that LSU’s president had previously agreed to a league-wide pledge not to add players who had signed NFL contracts, suggesting the school could have avoided the situation by enforcing that policy earlier.

The SEC’s amended complaint cites Kiffin’s comments during the Clemson game, in which he told broadcasters, "Imagine if we had pro players," as evidence of a lack of institutional control. LSU abstained from the vote on penalties.

A two-thirds majority is required to remove a member, and LSU has been part of the SEC since its founding in 1933. The outcome of Thursday’s meeting will determine whether the university faces the predicted sanctions or a more severe action.