The SEC is drawing a hard line as its fight over player eligibility heads into a key court hearing Thursday, and Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman says the conference is not backing down.
Plowman, who serves as president of the SEC executive committee, told ESPN on Tuesday that league leaders are standing together behind the rule that bars players who signed professional contracts from returning to college.
"We have a responsibility to try and lead the best we can in this time of chaos," Plowman said. "Our group is united on this. This is not a rule we will budge on."
She added: "Enough is enough."
The dispute centers on LSU and former NFL players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, both of whom signed NFL contracts before seeking a return to college football. LSU is still waiting for more clarity on their eligibility as the legal process moves forward.
A Louisiana judge has already issued a temporary restraining order blocking the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey from enforcing the rule against players involved in the lawsuit. The next step is Thursday’s hearing in Baton Rouge on a preliminary injunction.
Plowman pushed back on any suggestion that the league created the policy on the fly.
"It's not a new rule," Plowman said. "We didn't just cook up a rule."
She also said SEC presidents and chancellors have approved strong penalties for schools that break the policy. Asked by ESPN whether LSU could eventually face suspension or expulsion from the league, Plowman called that an "extraordinary step," while noting that the conference handbook includes that option.
"We are prepared to defend our rules and our authority to defend our rules," Plowman said.
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Swinney made clear his frustration was aimed at the broader state of college football rules, not at LSU coach Lane Kiffin, while also settling one important piece of Clemsons side of the equation by naming senior Christopher Vizzina as the starting quarterback. For LSU, the situation only sharpens the intrigue heading into kickoff, with potential roster movement still in play as the Tigers and Tigers head toward a game that already had plenty riding on it. [Read more 🡒]
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LSU Is Suddenly at the Center of an SEC Punishment Debate
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The bigger backdrop here is the SECs own origin story, which was shaped by disputes over those same rules and the tension they created among member schools. However this latest debate plays out, it has put LSU at the center of a broader question about how far the league is willing to go when it believes a program has pushed too far. For now, the uncertainty is the point, and it leaves the Tigers in a spotlight they probably did not want. [Read more 🡒]