BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — College football is changing fast, and LSU is at the center of a fight over who is allowed to play. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is trying to stop former professional athletes from returning to college sports. A Louisiana judge temporarily blocked the SEC from enforcing that rule. Now, the SEC is expected in court Thursday morning in Baton Rouge to argue that it should be allowed to enforce its eligibility rules. The hearing comes just days before LSU opens its season against Clemson on Saturday. LSU has several players connected to the fight, including former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. LSU head coach Lane Kiffin said the situation is different because some players did not know they could return to college for another year.
“The judge found that these players should have been told and should have known that they were going to be eligible for a fifth year,” said Kiffin.
Kiffin said he believes the players should have the chance to return. The debate is part of a much bigger change happening across college sports. LSU Athletic Director Verge Ausberry said the rules are changing because college athletes are now operating in a much different financial system.
“We’re looking at football teams that are from fifty million or sixty-five to seventy million dollars,” said Ausberry.
Ausberry said LSU is trying to keep up with those changes while also finding ways to have some control over how college athletics operates. He says the current system is not sustainable.
“We can’t keep it up," Ausberry added. "The cliff is coming in by December.”
Ausberry also wants to see changes to the transfer portal. He says he would like athletes to have one transfer available to them, unless they graduate before transferring again. For now, LSU and other schools are waiting to see what happens in Thursday’s hearing. The outcome could have a direct impact on LSU’s roster as the Tigers prepare for their season opener against Clemson Saturday night. On Wednesday evening, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill asked the court for permission to file a brief on the state's behalf. She argues that the NCAA's changing eligibility rules have put players and Louisiana universities in a position that would force schools to either follow court orders or face penalties from the athletic conference. It should be noted that Murrill's filing doesn't affect the temporary order but suggests that the judge consider Louisiana's interest when making a decision. Latest News
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