Whoa! Southeastern Conference members are going to discuss kicking LSU out of the conference Thursday.
The SEC sued LSU's President, Athletic Director, and Head Football Coach last week in federal court over LSU's recruiting of former college football players who signed NFL contracts but did not make rosters. The conference filed another creeping barrage of paperwork this morning, including an amended complaint. The new complaint announced:
Pursuant to Section 4.1.2 of the SEC Constitution, the Conference’s CEOs are vested with “plenary power and authority with respect to all affairs of the Conference of any type or nature whatsoever,” including the power to “[t]ake all actions specified and contemplated in Article 3 [of the Constitution] in their sole discretion.” Section 3.1.5 of the SEC Constitution and Bylaws provides in full that:Membership of a member may be terminated involuntarily at a meeting of the Chief Executive Officers. A vote of at least two-thirds of all the Chief Executive Officers is required to terminate membership. motion to terminate membership shall specify the effective date of the proposed termination.Pursuant to notice properly given under Section 5.1 contemporaneously with the filing of this First Amended Complaint, the CEOs will meet on September 10, 2026, to decide whether to terminate Louisiana State University (“LSU”) as an SEC member institution pursuant to Section 3.1.5 of the SEC Constitution and Bylaws.
The complaint also states the SEC will ask for a temporary restraining order stopping LSU from taking any action to block the scheduled meeting.
This mess about some mess began when the NCAA passed a rule giving athletes five years to complete their eligibility earlier this year. The NCAA later amended the rule to include players enrolled in 2022, a Covid year. Unfortunately for all, the NCAA bumbled things as it usually does and amended the rule after players signed contracts with NFL teams thinking they had exhausted their NCAA eligibility and therein lies the rub.
LSU Coach Lane Kiffin made no bones about signing such players and started recruiting said players to his roster.
Ex-LSU football player Jack Pyburn and 31 other former players sued the NCAA in District Court in Baton Rouge last week and obtained an injunction allowing them to sign with college teams. The SEC in turn sued LSU, LSU officials, and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill in the northern district of Alabama in federal court Thursday.
The SEC claimed it had a right to freedom of association under the First Amendment. Such a right allows the conference to create rules and discipline members.
The TRO, argues the SEC, is a textbook case of prior restraint:
74. Neither the TRO, the Amended TRO, nor the Preliminary Injunction (when entered) impose or can impose prior restraints on speech in violation of the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech or impose a viewpoint- and content-based ban on speech by the SEC, its Commissioner, or its member institutions. Those orders similarly do not and cannot restrain the rights of the SEC and the 15 member institutions other than LSU to disassociate themselves from LSU by terminating LSU’s membership in the Conference.
Why was General Murrill added to the complaint? The SEC accuses the Louisiana Attorney General of helping LSU break SEC rules:
* General Murrill tweeted "Dae’Quan Wright, who played for Ole Miss, says he lost out on seven-figure NIL money in a fifth year. Mississippi didn’t fight for him, but Louisiana will.”
* The Attorney General told the media "Geaux Tigers" as she walked into the Baton Rouge hearing.
* The Attorney General filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the players.
* The defendant called the SEC was "legal garbage" and "frivolous"
* General Murill criticized the SEC Commissioner publicly.
(Warning to SEC: Unlike our Attorney General, General Murrill likes a good fight. Ask the folks in New Orleans.).
The SEC CEO's met Thursday and expressed great concerned over the Baton Rouge injunction.
The complaint accuses LSU President Wade Rousse and Athletic Director Verge Ausberry of having no meaningful control over the football program. The plaintiff takes particular exception to Dr. Rousse voting for the SEC's policy while his school took no action to comply with the policy. After eviscerating the LSU President, the SEC hit LSU with the dreaded "lack of institutional control" charge:
82. The consensus at the September 4 meeting was and continues to be that LSU’s demonstrated lack of institutional control at the University level—including complete lack of control over Defendant Kiffin’s actions—and other conduct alleged herein that is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the Conference as set forth in Section 1.2 of the Constitution, made it imperative for a meeting to be called to consider the termination of LSU’s membership in the Conference pursuant to Section 3.1.5 of the Constitution.
The amended complaint charges the defendants with violating the SEC's first amendment rights and seeks injunctive relief protecting those rights.
So will the SEC kick out LSU? Stay tuned.
15 comments:
One keeps thinking the adults in charge at LSU would tell Kiffin no but that doesn't appear to be the case. And, for what? Lose your SEC membership and wreck your institution to feed Lane's ego?
I know it won't happen, but kicking LSU out of the SEC to spite Lane Kiffin would be the unifying, healing event this nation so badly needs.
Lane Kiffin gets LSU (Lie down with dog named Kiffin, get fleas) kicked out of the SEC?
HOTTY DAMN TODDY!
Maybe he will be gone before they come to Oxford. Dont know if our defense can stop him, or anything for that matter.
Greg Sankey is the epitome of a petulant child. He has let his personal vendetta against Kiffin to spill over into a public spectacle.
Does he really think 11 schools are going to vote in favor of expelling one of the largest money makers in the conference's history?
Does he really think Disney is going to roll over on their multi-billion deal for the exclusive rights to broadcast SEC football, only to have one of the largest money makers kicked out?
Please. This is nothing but posturing. Sankey needs to GEAUX!
Kiffin probably grew up hearing his father Monte say on a daily basis how truly full of shit the whole bureaucracy is - both college and pro - and advised him to break the rules as he sees fit. There aren't any actual grownups in the world anymore, and Lane is ahead of everyone in knowing this wisdom applies more today than even in Monte's time. Anything goes in Clownworld 2026. No one one gets in trouble anymore, except the little guy.
I have no great love for Greg Sankey, but I support this 100%. Kiffin's behavior since the departure from Ole Miss has been just gross. He apparently has made it his personal crusade to turn the entire SEC into his bitch. He's decided that *HE* is more important than any player, any team, or any conference. LSU signed up to be his enabler, which is unfortunate. But the SEC needs to cut the Kiffin cancer out.
Lack of institutional control is the definition of LSU athletics. The governor, the University president, the Louisiana Attorney General, all have control over the Athletics Director and the "institution".
@12:21 This is a test of who has the biggest balls. LSU thinks it's are bigger than the SEC's.I think LSU is in for a big surprise.
I agree with SEC removing LSU. Kiffin has ruined these players in college by the way he carries himself. He is not Bear Bryant or Nick Sabine!
Given that the Big 10, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 have voted for their members to NOT play teams that accept pro players who have signed a contract play collegiate ball again, it's only a matter of time before the G6 adopts that also..(in order to keep the 'money games' flowing).. LSU may end up out of the conference, and not be able to schedule any football games. (or others for that matter). LSU needs to put on some big boy pants and dismiss the former pros before they ruin their own athletic department.
"The complaint accuses LSU President Wade Rousse and Athletic Director Verge Ausberry of having no meaningful control over the football program."
Kiffin has a direct line to Gov. Jeff Landry, because that's who brought him to LSU. Landry and Kiffin run the football program.
Landry wants to be the next Huey P. Long. Managing the LSU football team while winning national championships is the quickest and surest way to do that.
The guy never played a snap in the NFL...I fail to see how it is materially different from Chambliss getting granted an extra year of eligibility by the Lafayette County Traffic Court or whatever.
12:56, You obviously have the governor and AG of Louisiana backing your play.
But you really think Disney needs you? And is actually willing to step into college football politics and active litigation to back you up?
Damn, the self-importance is (almost) unbelievable.
Face it this ain’t happening, The TV networks will be looking to redo their contracts with the SEC. The Big 10, ACC and all the others would welcome them and their 100k stadium over night .
Yeah! Yall know the lyrics to NECK!
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