LSU stayed out of the room last week as SEC leaders weighed whether to expel the school, and internal emails show the university was trying to steer the league in a different direction entirely.
According to emails obtained by the WAFB I-TEAM, LSU System President Dr. Wade Rousse told SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey that LSU would not attend the meeting on advice of counsel. At the same time, Rousse pressed Sankey to back away from the federal lawsuit that sits at the center of the dispute.
“I believe the quickest path forward is to resolve the federal litigation so we can put this matter behind us and refocus our collective efforts on strengthening the SEC and its brand,” Rousse wrote to Sankey at 8:08 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, just hours before the meeting was set to begin.
The conflict traces back to an ongoing legal battle over whether college athletes can claim a fifth year of playing time. That fight led to Sankey testifying in Baton Rouge state court and the SEC filing a federal lawsuit against LSU.
Rousse said LSU officials were advised not to take part in the meeting without legal counsel because several university employees were named individually in the federal case. LSU also pointed to the fact that the meeting agenda had not been revised.
A few minutes after his note to Sankey, Rousse sent a second email to nearly every SEC president and chancellor, delivering the same message directly to the people who would be deciding LSU’s fate.
“I want to be clear that our absence should not be interpreted as LSU stepping away from our commitment to the SEC,” Rousse wrote. “Quite the opposite. We want to put this matter behind us, restore our collective focus, and continue working together to strengthen the SEC and its brand.”
In the end, the SEC met without LSU in the room and did not move to terminate or punish the university.
The legal fight is still going. This week, an appeals court upheld a state judge’s ruling that allows former players to seek that fifth year of eligibility, while the SEC’s federal lawsuit against LSU remains pending.
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