It's Only SEC (but I like it....)
GEORGE SOMERVILLE – THE TOUCHDOWN’s
SEC CORRESPONDENT
Louisiana Coutroom Edition
Well, here we are in Week One, and we should be talking with great excitement about Week One football. Except we are all focused on a courtroom scene in Louisiana which resembles a John Grisham novel.
So, like it or loathe it, this week’s headlines are in a stranglehold by Louisiana State University, Louisiana politicians, and the state’s judicial system.
So sit back for gumbo references, drawling southern accents and much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the bayou.
this weeks sec Stories
Like a cold cup of gumbo
Baton Rouge, LA
“Today, justice was served. And justice was served to the SEC. It was served like a cold cup of gumbo. And that judge forced them to eat it.”
These are not the words I expected to write now or ever, to be completely honest.
This is how Thursday ended on the steps of the Courthouse in Baton Rouge. The culmination of a nine-hour court hearing to judge a lawsuit filed by athletes. These athletes claim they are being unfairly denied the opportunity to spend a fifth year in college under newly adopted NCAA rules that allow five full years of competition. These players are from the 2022 high school recruiting class who were the last to progress through college with the previous 4-year eligibility rule.
The gumbo quote was from Attorney Tony Clayton, representing the players in Louisiana, which caught headlines, but the ruling has shocked college football to its core.
The NCAA reports that around 450 athletes around the country have filed or are bringing lawsuits to court in order to be able to play. In Louisiana yesterday, the court ruling affected around 30 players.
The sublime to the ridiculous
Baton Rouge, LA
make it make sense
The ruling in favour of the athletes came in the form of a preliminary injunction against the NCAA, which effectively allows those players to enrol with a University and play football.
East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden issued his ruling on the Thursday before SEC teams enter the 2026/27 football season. And important timing, as this was the night before LSU is due to submit its 105-man roster to the Southeastern Conference, as all SEC teams are required to do.
The argument by the players seeking the injunction is that if they had known that the NCAA was going to extend eligibility by a further year, then they wouldn’t have entered the draft.
Two players, former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Zxavian Harris and former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright, were in court to testify in favour of the lawsuit. With an injunction in place, both players are now expected to suit up for LSU within weeks.
Less money in NFL
Both took the stand to say they would not have signed with NFL teams this year had they known they might get another year in college.
Now doesn’t that argument sound a little ridiculous when you consider the NFL a professional league, where players get paid? Well, yes, folks, welcome to the nonsensical scenario that college football finds itself in. For some players, it is actually more financially beneficial to be playing in college. So, to prove this point, two players, Zxavian Harris, who was with the New Orleans Saints and Dae’Quan Wright, who was with the Cleveland Browns, but now both waived, were in court to testify about the financial hardship they have experienced since moving to the NFL.
Both testified that they earned about $1 million in college. Harris said he was paid just $190 in travel expenses by the Saints while recovering from a foot injury. Wright testified that he was paid a $25,000 signing bonus by Philadelphia before joining the Browns.
While I wouldn’t want to make light of someone’s financial hardship, I’m sure there are several NFL Pros – current and former – who are shaking their heads at this moment in time.
Sankey grilled on the stand but the SEC fires back
Birmingham, AL
So where does this leave the Southeastern Conference?
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey took the stand in Baton Rouge to defend the position of the SEC. But in all reality, a Louisiana judge ruling in a Louisiana court on a case that directly impacts the LSU Tigers? No amount of testifying was ever going to sway the opinion and the outcome.
But in what was quite simply a show of strength, Sankey was put through the mill for over two hours on the stand.
“The line between professional sports and college sports needs to be maintained,” Sankey testified.
He also went on to reaffirm what the SEC and, frankly, the rest of college football is worried about – that the league is concerned about incoming athletes displacing actual student-athletes from limited roster spots.
Things just got interesting
However, matters then took a very interesting twist. At the very point that Sankey spoke on the stand in court in Louisiana, simultaneously the SEC filed a federal lawsuit in Alabama against LSU and its leadership.
In the SEC’s lawsuit, it alleges that LSU “waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes”, which is in direct contradiction of league rules. The court filing against LSU – one of the SEC’s founding members – seeks an injunction barring LSU from violating the SEC’s First Amendment rights by forcing it to “associate with conduct that is contrary to the conference’s purpose and mission.”
What happens next?
Baton Rouge, LA
And so back to Baton Rouge. But let’s be clear: Baton Rouge is not the only school investigating this route. But it is fair to say that LSU is the most high-profile school involved at this stage, certainly the most aggressive and definitely leading the charge.
As previously noted, the 105-player football roster has to be submitted to SEC HQ on Friday 4th September – 24 hours before LSU and the other schools make their season debut.
With players named in the lawsuit already in Baton Rouge and practising with the team, it is safe to assume that at least one and possibly more will be named in the 105-man roster. Currently, the opinion is that both Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris will be named on the roster.
Sanctions galore
Before the injunction was granted in Louisiana, the SEC schools had given their Conference Commissioner scope to take action in respect of the sanctions that the SEC Schools overwhelmingly voted in favour of. The injunction agreed by the judge in Louisiana essentially provides LSU with the green light to proceed. However, the lawsuit issued by the SEC in Alabama muddies these waters completely. Any ruling in favour of the SEC means that the SEC will be confident in its powers to impose sanctions on LSU.
“The order entered against the SEC and Commissioner (Greg) Sankey is a temporary restraining order, not a final ruling on the merits,” the SEC said in a statement.
“The SEC and Commissioner Sankey are prepared to contest the allegations in the plaintiffs’ petition at Thursday morning’s hearing and defend the SEC’s rights as a voluntary association to fulfill its mission to its member institutions.
“In the meantime, the SEC and Commissioner Sankey will continue to comply with the Court’s order. Following the hearing, the SEC will carefully review the Court’s decision and determine the appropriate next steps.”
And if you need a reminder, these sanctions are extremely damaging to any school they are brought upon. As a reminder, the sanctions include
- A suspension of up to half the season for the head coach
- A fine equal to as much as 50% of the sport’s annual operating budget
- Loss of voting privileges on SEC matters
- Additional sanctions imposed by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey under his conference authority
Rhetoric in the last week has also been dialled up to LSU being expelled from the Conference, which would be unprecedented.
support for the conferences
Grapevine, TX
The other conferences have unanimously set out that they will not entertain pro players returning to the college game. However, many players are likely awaiting the outcome of the SEC litigation to ascertain their next steps. Should the SEC not be successful in their lawsuit, then this will likely open the floodgates to many other players.
However, Friday the College Football Playoff organisation issued a statement in support of the conferences
“The CFP strongly supports the positions and rules of individual conferences concerning the return to college of athletes with professional draft, contract or roster ties. These conference rules are intended to protect the needs, interests and integrity of the sport.
The CFP believes that certain clear rules should be followed so that individual institutions fielding FBS football teams know what will be expected of them, and so that the public can have full confidence in the competitive integrity of the sport. Given the ongoing legal proceedings, we will not have further comments on the matter at this time.”
A problem waiting to happen
Now what makes this interesting is the widely held belief that should teams start to field former pro athletes, then other schools will look to cancel or refuse to play against these teams. This certainly was the case with the Sorsby situation at Texas Tech.
But still, this has huge implications for the CFB Playoffs and the Committee when assessing the rankings and who makes the Playoffs. So the implications are huge and have the potential to rumble on far beyond September.
Sadly, this doesn’t feel like the end of you reading about this subject on these pages.
If you have any strength left after reading this, then happy college football season, y’all!
GEORGE SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
GEORGE IS A LONG STANDING FANATIC OF LIFE AND FOOTBALL IN THE DEEP SOUTH AND WRITES HIS WEEKLY COLUMN CALLED “IT’S ONLY SEC” FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. HE IS ALSO CO-HOST AND ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST, THE UK’S FIRST PODCAST DEDICATED TO THE COLLEGE GAME.
