LSU President Wade Rousse said Friday the university will take a close look at a Baton Rouge judge’s ruling that handed a preliminary injunction to a group of former collegiate athletes in their lawsuit against the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference.
Rousse framed LSU’s position as one of compliance and restraint, even as the decision opened a door for the school’s hopes of adding two players who were recently cut from NFL rosters.
“LSU respects the judicial process and the court’s decision,” Rousse said. “Our responsibility is to support our programs while complying with the law and the rule governing our conference.”
He also pushed the issue beyond the courtroom, calling on U.S. lawmakers to clear up the uncertainty around eligibility rules.
“…This is just another illustration that Congress needs to pass a version of the Protect College Sport Act,” he said.
Judge William Jorden’s ruling on Thursday applies only to the athletes named in the suit. It arrived the same day the SEC filed a separate lawsuit in an Alabama federal court against LSU, athletic director Verge Ausberry and coach Lane Kiffin, alleging they helped drive the legal fight that led to the injunction.
Jorden’s order also blocked LSU from taking any action against the plaintiffs as they try to secure a fifth season of college sports. That extra protection was requested by one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, Tony Clayton, so LSU could comply with the court order allowing the athletes to play.
The athletes in the Louisiana case are all 2022 high school graduates who were denied a fifth year after the NCAA changed its eligibility model in June. Under that model, current athletes can play five seasons in five years.
The center of the dispute is a pair of Ole Miss starters-turned-LSU commits: tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris.
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For now, the game remains on the schedule and Clemson is not pursuing damages or legal action, but the issue adds an unusual layer to a marquee opener that was already going to draw plenty of attention. LSU is left to navigate a situation that sits at the intersection of roster strategy, contract language and a legal question the sport has not fully settled. [Read more 🡒]