SEC Schedules Vote to Expel LSU Over NFL Players — SkimNews
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- SEC filed an amended federal complaint against LSU on Tuesday and scheduled a Thursday vote of conference presidents on whether to expel the Tigers under Section 3.1.5 of the SEC Constitution, though expulsion is not expected and requires a two-thirds vote of all presidents.
- SEC added Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill as a defendant and is seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent LSU officials from interfering with the September 10th meeting.
- Lane Kiffin's halftime remarks to ABC during LSU's 51-10 win over Clemson — "Imagine if we had pro players" — are cited in the amended complaint as evidence of "lack of institutional control" at LSU, in sharp contrast to silence from LSU's president and athletic director.
- Dae'Quan Wright (waived by the Cleveland Browns in August after a preseason appearance) and Zxavian Harris (waived by the New Orleans Saints before a "business decision" to head to Baton Rouge) are the two former NFL signees practicing with LSU; neither was on the roster for the Clemson opener.
- A Baton Rouge state judge ruled the SEC cannot enforce its new pro-player ban against LSU, and every other SEC school authorized Commissioner Greg Sankey to impose penalties including a half-season coach suspension and a fine equal to half the team's annual operating budget.
- The SEC filed its original federal suit in Alabama seeking an injunction to override the state-court ruling; that federal judge has not yet issued any orders.
Why it matters: The SEC is using the nuclear option of expulsion — a step it is not expected to take — as leverage in a fight it already lost in state court. With LSU cleared to play former pros under a Louisiana injunction and the federal ruling pending, Thursday's vote tests whether the conference can actually enforce its own membership bylaws against a member institution willing to defy them.
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