LSU Drops Bid to Roster 2 Former NFL Players as SEC Threatens 50% Budget Fine
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Sep 17
LSU Drops Bid to Roster 2 Former NFL Players as SEC Threatens 50% Budget Fine
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Sep 17
Summary
LSU left Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris off its roster, backing away even after a Louisiana judge cleared them and about 40 other athletes to play under the NCAA's new five-for-five rule.
The retreat followed SEC threats of a fine equal to 50% of a sport's annual operating budget, a half-season suspension for coach Lane Kiffin and even a vote on expelling LSU from the league.
Judge William Jorden had granted the injunction after finding the NCAA's 2026-27 manual appeared to create a path for previously exhausted players to regain eligibility starting Aug. 1.
Lane Kiffin sought legal input from attorney Tom Mars during the fight, but Mars said the coach often countered with ChatGPT screenshots that backed LSU's position and were "almost always wrong."
The standoff exposed a broader clash over who governs college sports as courts, conferences and politicians battle eligibility rules on the eve of LSU's Saturday trip to No. 8 Ole Miss.
With dozens of lawsuits pending, will this aborted roster stunt ultimately trigger the collapse of the NCAA's new eligibility framework?
Banned by the SEC and the NFL, what happens to the athletes caught in college football's multi-million dollar legal loophole?
Did a college football coach's bizarre reliance on an AI chatbot nearly get his university expelled from the SEC?
2026’s $40 Million LSU-SEC Showdown: Legal Battles, Barred Players, and the Future of College Football Governance
Overview
In 2026, a new NCAA eligibility rule excluded certain seniors, leading hundreds of athletes—including Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris—to sue for another year of college football. State courts sided with the players, but the SEC and other conferences quickly banned anyone who had signed a pro contract. After a judge cleared the athletes to play, LSU faced intense legal and political pressure, ultimately leaving Wright and Harris off the roster to avoid SEC expulsion. The NFL then barred both from playing that season, leaving them sidelined from all football and highlighting the chaos at the intersection of college sports, law, and governance.