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The SEC isn’t backing down. The conference plans to fight a court order that’s currently stopping it from punishing schools that suit up former NFL players this season, and it’ll make that case in a Louisiana courtroom on Thursday morning.
A judge in Baton Rouge barred the SEC from enforcing its new rule last week, and Commissioner Greg Sankey got named as a defendant too. On Sunday evening, the conference broke its silence, telling CBS Sports it’s ready to contest the whole thing head-on.
“The order entered against the SEC and Commissioner Sankey is a temporary restraining order, not a final ruling on the merits,” the conference 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.”
For now, the league says it’ll keep following the restraining order. Once Thursday’s hearing wraps up, the SEC plans to “carefully review the Court’s decision and determine the appropriate next steps.”
LSU sits at the center of it all
This fight has basically turned into the SEC versus LSU. The Tigers could end up with three former pros on their roster this season if the court order sticks around.
Jack Pyburn just got added to the mix. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived him on Sunday after he led the entire NFL in preseason sacks, and he’s reportedly expected to sign with LSU if no other team scoops him up first.
That would make him the fourth plaintiff tied to LSU in this case. Dae’Quan Wright, a former Ole Miss tight end who got waived by the Browns, and Zxavian Harris, a 6-foot-8 defensive tackle who started all 15 games for Ole Miss last year before signing with the Saints, both plan on following coach Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge. Junior Tuihalamaka, a former Notre Dame pass rusher who never signed a pro contract, already committed to LSU on Aug. 21 after picking up a fifth year of eligibility.
Pyburn spent three seasons at Florida before wrapping up 2025 at LSU. He got added to an amended complaint just last week, and he’s said he intends to play for the Tigers if he doesn’t land on an NFL roster this fall.
How we got here
Judge William Jorden, who sits on the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish, amended an already-existing restraining order last Friday to add the SEC and Sankey as defendants. That temporary order stops the conference from enforcing its ban on former professional athletes.
Under the SEC’s rule, the conference could punish schools and coaches for playing former NFL, NBA or WNBA players. Jorden also signed a show-cause order, which basically means the SEC and NCAA now have to explain in court on Thursday why these new penalties don’t put them in contempt.
The rule itself came from a 15-0 vote among the SEC’s presidents and chancellors this past Tuesday. It bars athletes who signed pro contracts, showed up on pro rosters, or declared for a draft without properly withdrawing. LSU was the only school that abstained. Before that vote even happened, all 16 of the SEC’s athletic directors, including LSU’s Verge Ausberry, had already approved the measure unanimously.
The penalties aren’t small
Coaches caught violating the rule would face a half-season suspension. Schools could get hit with a fine equal to 50% of that sport’s annual operating budget, plus lose their voting privileges on league matters. The conference’s presidents also handed Sankey extra sanctioning power on top of all that.
The lawsuit itself has grown fast. It started with 33 athletes in Louisiana and had climbed to 42 plaintiffs by the end of last week.
“If Sankey shows up, I’d like to hear his argument,” attorney Tony Clayton told ESPN. “What gives him the right to anoint himself God and take these constitutional rights from these kids?”
This isn’t just a Louisiana problem
Ryan Downton, co-counsel on the case and lead attorney in a similar lawsuit out of Dallas, told ESPN he believes “the SEC is acting in concert with the NCAA.” That’s a separate case, but it’s moving on a similar timeline.
Last Thursday, Dallas County Judge Martin Hoffman signed his own 14-day restraining order covering 41 plaintiffs, three of whom are on active NFL rosters right now. That order also names the NCAA, the SEC and Sankey. A hearing there is scheduled for Sept. 11.
The NCAA can’t seem to catch a break this offseason. A memo circulated to member schools last Friday counted nearly 60 lawsuits challenging Division I eligibility rules across the country, including 322 former players and 184 who currently hold some form of judicial relief letting them play college sports again.
The timing couldn’t be tighter
LSU’s roster for its season opener against Clemson locks on Friday, just one day after the SEC makes its case in Louisiana court. That’s cutting it close.
No. 11 LSU and Clemson kick off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Baton Rouge, and depending on what happens Thursday, the Tigers’ roster could look a lot different than expected.
