Lane Kiffin has not yet coached a game for LSU, but there is already a push to exclude the Tigers from the SEC. This follows controversial recruitment methods associated with Kiffin.
According to ESPN, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has urged SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey to take strong action. Carr wants LSU penalized if any team members previously held contracts with NFL teams during the summer.
The SEC recently adopted a rule banning member schools from signing former NFL players. Violations could lead to severe penalties, such as suspending coaches for half the season, fining schools up to 50% of their annual budget, and removing their voting rights in league matters.
In a letter to Sankey, Carr vowed to use all legal avenues to ensure no SEC teams, particularly LSU, would field players with past NFL contracts.
Reports suggest that LSU planned to sign tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris. They were cut from the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints, respectively.
“College athletics are for college athletes only, and we are grateful the SEC has taken swift action to maintain that standard,” Carr wrote, as cited by ESPN. “However, the rules cannot be ignored or twisted to benefit one coach, one institution, or one program, and we refuse to stand by while that happens.”
Recently, local judges have issued temporary restraining orders, allowing NFL rookies who failed to make 53-man rosters to return to college for another year. Carr’s warning presents new challenges for Sankey and the SEC, especially as a Louisiana state judge ruled the SEC cannot penalize teams for signing players previously contracted to the NFL.
Former Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos, after participating in the Miami Dolphins’ rookie minicamp on a tryout as a wide receiver, signed with Texas Tech. He took advantage of the recent ruling after not making an NFL roster this summer.
Several media outlets report that the SEC has not commented on the judge’s ruling or its future strategy regarding former NFL players.