LSU’s decision to steer clear of ex-pro players didn’t end the fight over eligibility in Louisiana.
The bigger story is still moving through the courts, and on Monday the plaintiffs picked up a key early victory. Louisiana’s 1st Circuit Court of Appeal left in place a district court injunction that gives the athletes one more year of competition while the case is sorted out.
The three-judge panel - Allison Penzato, Walter Lanier III and Wilson Fields - declined to pause the lower court proceedings or suspend District Judge Will Jorden’s preliminary injunction. In its ruling, the court said the Southeastern Conference had “not shown an abuse of discretion by the district court.”
That doesn’t close the door on the defendants. The SEC can still ask the Louisiana Supreme Court to review Jorden’s ruling, and the NCAA also has the option to appeal. Beyond that, the full case still has to be argued on the merits.
Tony Clayton, one of the lawyers for the plaintiff student athletes, said he doesn’t know what the SEC will do next. He also accused the league of flooding the case with what he called pointless motions, comparing them to low-accuracy “Scud missiles.”
“I don’t have a clue what these people will do next, but whatever they do, they’ll be met with fierce resistance,” he said.
Clayton, who is also the district attorney for West Baton Rouge, Iberville and Pointe Coupee parishes and the chair of the Southern University Board of Supervisors, is working on the case through his private practice. Jason Williams, the New Orleans district attorney, is on the other side representing the SEC through his private practice as well. Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Clayton said he is trying to keep the door open for a resolution, saying he is “extending an olive branch” to the SEC and Commissioner Greg Sankey.
“I’m willing to get all my parties to sit down with the NCAA and the SEC and see if we can bring some closure to this,” he said.
The lawsuit, filed last month in Louisiana state court by more than 40 players, seeks a final year of eligibility for athletes in a range of sports after the NCAA changed its rules this summer to allow five seasons over the course of five years.
The plaintiffs are 2022 high school graduates who were left out of the NCAA’s new eligibility model. Some of them had signed with pro teams before the rule change, then were either cut or decided not to play, and they say they would have stayed in college for another year under the new system.
Among the players LSU had been prepared to add were tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris. Both had signed with pro teams - Wright with the Browns and Harris with the Saints - but neither ended up playing for those teams.
In Other News...
LSU Just Scored Another Court Win In Its SEC Eligibility Fight
Another legal turn went LSUs way this week in the eligibility fight surrounding some of its athletes, as the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal rejected the Southeastern Conferences bid to pause the case and pursue supervisory writs. The ruling keeps in place a Baton Rouge district courts preliminary injunction, which stops the NCAA and SEC from blocking LSU from putting certain players on its football roster while their eligibility claims work through the legal process.
For LSU, the immediate importance is less about the courtroom language than the roster flexibility it preserves in the middle of a dispute that is still very much alive. The SEC has already taken the matter in a different direction as well, filing a separate federal lawsuit against LSU and its officials, so the conference office is clearly not done pressing its side even after this latest setback in state court. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Are Facing A Brutal Price To See This Ole Miss Showdown
The buzz around Saturdays LSU trip to Ole Miss has pushed the ticket market into eye-watering territory, with fans hunting for a seat at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium finding very little relief. The cheapest listings on SeatGeek are sitting around $467 with fees, while secondary market data shows a median price near $862, a reflection of how much attention this matchup has generated.
It is, after all, a top-10 meeting with ESPNs College GameDay in town and Lane Kiffin back in Oxford now wearing LSU colors, which only adds to the intrigue. For Tigers fans hoping to make the trip, the challenge is no longer just watching one of the SECs biggest games, but figuring out whether the price of admission is worth it. [Read more 🡒]
Ex-LSU Star Mansoor Delane Made An Instant NFL Impact At A Cost
Mansoor Delane wasted no time making his presence felt in the NFL. Drafted sixth overall by the Kansas City Chiefs, the former LSU standout forced an interception on just his third snap in his debut, a reminder of the sticky coverage and ball skills that made him such a tough target in Baton Rouge.
Delanes first pro moment came with an immediate catch, though it also brought an early concern for Kansas City. He re-injured a right shoulder issue on the play and did not return, leaving the Chiefs with one of the days sharpest defensive flashes and an unsettling update on a player they expected to lean on right away. [Read more 🡒]