SEC Sues LSU and Lane Kiffin for 'Violating the Conference's First Amendment Rights'
The Southeastern Conference sued LSU on Thursday over plans to put former NFL players on the Tigers’ roster.
The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Alabama.
Defendants include the university, its board of supervisors, President Wade Rousse, athletic director Verge Ausberry, and head coach Lane Kiffin.
The league says LSU is violating the conference’s First Amendment right of “expressive association” by ignoring SEC rules that bar signing and playing former professionals, ESPN reported.
The filing asks a judge to block LSU from forcing the SEC to “associate with conduct that is contrary to the Conference’s purpose and mission.”
Commissioner Greg Sankey was on the stand in a separate Baton Rouge hearing the same day.
That state case involves dozens of athletes seeking a fifth college season after leaving NFL camps.
A Louisiana judge had already issued a temporary restraining order keeping the NCAA from declaring some of those players ineligible.
LSU has recruited former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, who followed Kiffin to Baton Rouge after NFL stints.
The SEC complaint also cites players who had signed with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
At least two of the former pros have been practicing with LSU, the lawsuit said.
Kiffin has said he intends to play them if the courts allow it.
LSU opens Saturday against Clemson.
SEC presidents, with LSU abstaining, had already voted for penalties against schools that roster returning professionals.
The conference argues the line between college and pro football is “critical” to its identity.
LSU and the Louisiana attorney general have sided with the players in the state case.
Kiffin has denied that he told agents to sue the NCAA. “These kids made these decisions on their own with attorneys,” he said on SiriusXM.
The Big 12 took a similar path against Texas Tech in another eligibility fight.
College football’s amateur label has been fading for years. Thursday’s filing tries to keep one conference from having to share a field with players who already drew an NFL check.
A federal judge in Alabama will decide whether that is a constitutional right or just a rule LSU is willing to test.
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