LSU president tells Greg Sankey school complied with SEC rules, calls dispute 'moot'
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LSU president Wade Rousse is calling for the SEC's legal dispute with the university to be deemed "moot" after the Tigers ultimately did not add any former NFL players to their 105-man roster.
In a letter obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the LSU president wrote to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on Wednesday, Sept. 9 to "clear up allegations" against LSU. The letter confirms the Tigers would not add Dae'Quan Wright or Zxavian Harris to their roster, amid threats of punishment from the conference.
"On the afternoon of September 4, 2026, I called and provided you with advance notice that LSU would not place Dae'Quan Wright or Zxavian Harris on the football roster. This was confirmed when LSU submitted its roster that evening. On September 8, 2026, LSU filled its two remaining roster spots with eligible student-athletes. The roster is now locked for the season. LSU complied with SEC rules. This issue is moot," Rousse wrote.
LSU confirmed to USA TODAY on Tuesday, Sept. 8 that the Tigers added Aiden Anding and Gabriel Reliford to their NCAA-mandated 105-man roster, leaving no available path for DaeQuan Wright or Zxavian Harris to join the roster later this season.
"That wasn't easy," LSU coach Lane Kiffin said on "College GameDay" on Saturday, Sept. 5 about why the Tigers didn't add Wright and Harris to their roster before Week 1 vs. Clemson. "… I had to make a decision that is for the big picture for LSU and the LSU football program, with the uncertainties of what potentially could have come by adding them to the roster."
Wright and Harris were attempting to return to college after signing with NFL teams over the offseason. Both players were seniors last season and joined NFL teams earlier this year before ultimately being waived, but after the NCAA implemented a five-for-five eligibility model, Wright and Harris were part of a lawsuit in Louisiana that ended with a judge granting a temporary restraining order that would have allowed them to play at the college level. Both players had committed to LSU and coach Lane Kiffin, who they had previously played for at Mississippi.
The SEC filed suit against LSU in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama on Thursday, Sept. 3, seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions tied to what it described as its First Amendment right of "expressive association" — in other words, the conference’s argument that it cannot be forced to associate with a member acting contrary to its mission and values. That hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9, but was continued and will be rescheduled just before its scheduled start time.
Rousse's letter to Sankey also touched on the SEC's scheduled Thursday, Sept. 10 meeting, where presidents and chancellors are expected to consider LSU's status within the conference. It remains unclear if that vote will remain on the agenda.
Rousse also called that meeting's incentive to be "moot" as LSU won't "challenge, disrupt or seek to cancel or postpone" it.
LSU is scheduled to host Louisiana Tech at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 12 in Week 2.
USA TODAY reporters Craig Meyer and Matthew Glenesk and USA TODAY Network reporter Emilee Smarr contributed to this story
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LSU president tells Greg Sankey school complied with SEC rules, calls dispute 'moot'
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