The biggest story heading into the college football season has been Lane Kiffin and LSU’s attempts to add three former professional players to their roster. If that happens, one lawyer has warned that Kiffin could find himself banned from the SEC.
Earlier this week, CBS News reported that Kiffin and LSU reached out to professional players and convinced them to initiate a lawsuit to return to college football. One prominent lawyer seems to think that could lead to some serious repercussions.
Kiffin reportedly orchestrated lawsuits
Over the past few weeks, Kiffin and the Tigers have been moving forward with plans to bring in at least three players who signed professional contracts this summer, including former Ole Miss players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who play tight end and defensive tackle, respectively.
Adding those players to the roster would break two separate league rules, as the SEC prohibits players from entering the conference after signing a professional contract while also restricting intraconference transfers outside of the designated portal window.
However, after a legal challenge, a Baton Rouge judge has issued an order preventing both the NCAA and SEC from enforcing their restrictions related to eligibility, the transfer portal, and professional players returning to college football.
On Thursday, Judge William Jorden, out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ruled in favor of LSU by approving a preliminary injunction “that prohibits the NCAA and SEC from punishing any school” that fields former professional players.
However, according to CBS Sports, it was actually Kiffin and LSU who orchestrated the lawsuits that paved the way for the injunction to allow these players to play.
“Kiffin and the Tigers reached out to multiple players on NFL rosters or their representation in an effort to get them to bring a lawsuit against the NCAA and return to school, per sources. This includes some of the players who ended up in the Louisiana lawsuit, which sources have pointed out wasn’t tried in Baton Rouge by accident,” CBS Sports reported last week.
Kiffin Banned From SEC?
If this report from CBS Sports is true, prominent lawyer Tom Mars, who has been involved with many legal battles involving college athletics, seems to think that Kiffin could find himself banned from the SEC.
“If LSU rosters the ineligible former NFL players today, based on reporting by @CBSSports, I would expect the SEC to open an investigation into whether Lane Kiffin had a role in orchestrating the Louisiana lawsuit. That investigation wouldn’t be difficult and could be enhanced by having the subpoena power of the federal and state courts. If the reporting by @CBSSports is proven to be true with hard evidence, there is almost no limit to what the university presidents and Sankey could do to Lane and LSU – including barring Lane from coaching in the SEC,” Mars wrote in a post on X.
It’s worth noting that LSU opted not to put Wright and Harris on their roster ahead of Saturday’s game against Clemson. However, they could be added to the roster later in the season.
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