LSU Avoids SEC Sanctions as the Expulsion Threat Fades for Now

LSU is still in the SEC.

And after a week in which expulsion was actually on the table (though never likely), that qualifies as a pretty significant development.

A meeting of SEC presidents and chancellors concluded Thursday without any sanctions being imposed on LSU, despite recent court filings indicating the conference had been prepared to consider removing the school entirely. The league said discussions will continue as it works toward an “appropriate resolution.”

For now, though, LSU escaped without a suspension, fine, loss of voting rights or anything more severe.

Gold. Upgraded. Buy real gold from $1. Store it in America. Sell it with one click.

The controversy centered on LSU’s attempt to potentially add former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to its football roster. Both had played for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss before signing NFL contracts this year and later being waived. A Louisiana judge granted an injunction that could have allowed them to return to college under the NCAA’s evolving eligibility rules.

The SEC wanted no part of that.

The conference had adopted a rule prohibiting schools from adding players who had already signed professional contracts, with potential punishments including a head coach suspension and a fine equal to half of a school’s football budget. LSU abstained from the vote while the other 15 schools supported the measure.

Things escalated quickly from there.

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

The SEC amended its federal lawsuit against LSU and sought legal authority to expel the school from the conference. Conference rules require a two-thirds vote of university presidents to remove a member, and court documents indicated Thursday’s meeting could include that possibility.

That is not normal conference drama.

But LSU ultimately backed away from the move that had created the showdown in the first place. The Tigers filled their 105-man football roster without Wright or Harris, using the final two spots on Aidan Anding and Gabriel Reliford instead.

LSU president Wade Rousse then argued in a letter to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey that the issue had effectively become moot because the school was now in compliance with league rules. That appears to have taken much of the urgency out of the confrontation.

The SEC still has not said the entire matter is over.

Its statement following Thursday’s meeting said the presidents and chancellors discussed “recent matters involving conference expectations and responsibilities” and that those conversations would continue.

So LSU may not be completely out of the woods yet.

But the most dramatic possibility has clearly cooled off. Just days ago, the SEC was arguing in court that LSU had demonstrated a lack of institutional control and that Lane Kiffin’s actions conflicted with the conference’s core governance principles. Now there has been no expulsion vote announced, no immediate punishment and no former NFL players on LSU’s roster.

That is a pretty substantial de-escalation.

The whole situation also shows just how messy college football’s new eligibility environment has become. Players are challenging NCAA rules in court, conferences are trying to create their own restrictions, and schools are increasingly willing to test those restrictions when judges give them an opening.

LSU pushed harder than most.

For a few days, that push actually put its SEC membership into question.

Now the Tigers appear to have stepped back just enough to keep the fight from going nuclear.

No sanctions. No expulsion. No former NFL players on the roster.

At least for now, everybody stays in the same conference.

Gold is the oldest answer. SoundMoney makes owning it as easy as the apps you already use.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.