LSU set to play NFL returnees ahead of Thursday’s SEC court hearing to defend ban

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LSU plan to defy the SEC’s recent stance on cut NFL players returning to college football ahead of their first game against Clemson.

LSU have been locked in a legal battle against the SEC over wanting to bring in former NFL players who are still NCAA-eligible to play for their teams.

As a result, there is a court hearing this Thursday, on September 3rd, to hear arguments and determine whether LSU’s request for a preliminary injunction to allow players returning from the NFL to play for them.

SEC willing to defend ban on former pro players in court amid LSU legal battle

According to reporting fromFront Office Sports, a judge issued a TRO (temporary restraining order) against the NCAA from placing any ban on former professional athletes’ eligibility for returning to college sports a few weeks ago.

Some of these athletes had been with NFL teams as recently as a few weeks before, as part of training camp squads.

One of the lawsuits filed in Louisiana by a former athlete suggested that players should get an additional fifth year of eligibility following the NCAA’s recent age-determined eligibility rules.

They also argued that players were being unfairly penalised for exhausting their eligibility to attend NFL training camps.

As such, the judge agreed and informed them that their eligibility would be restored once they returned whatever financial compensation they had received from their NFL teams and end their agreements with them.

The two players the Tigers are trying to land are TE Dae’Quan Wright, who was waived by the Cleveland Browns, and DT Zxavian Harris, who was waived following a preseason game by the New Orleans Saints.

Calling on all other major conferences in the country, the SEC pushed back on this attempt to return to college football through new policies that would impose heavy financial sanctions on colleges that had former NFL players on their teams.

The policy is so strict that even players who never played a minute of an NFL game wouldn’t be overlooked during the decision-making process.

In response to this, the players’ attorneys successfully filed a motion regarding the TRO filed against the NCAA, asking for Commissioner Greg Sankey and the SEC to be added.

As a result, the SEC cannot enforce their ban on former professional athletes until the hearing on Thursday, where this TRO could possibly be overturned.

However, if LSU’s preliminary injunction request is granted, these players will, for the time being, be eligible to play in the Tigers’ first game this weekend.

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