Judge clears path for NFL players return to LSU ahead of season opener
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Judge clears path for NFL players return to LSU ahead of season opener originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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A Baton Rouge judge has ruled against the NCAA Thursday in the eligibility case for former NFL players Dae'Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris and others, clearing a path to return to college.
LSU is now the bigger beneficiary with Wright and Harris reuniting with Lane Kiffin.
The NCAA's eligibility rules will be a five-year rule, which is extended to players from the 2022 recruiting class. Players who previously spent time with professional teams should be allowed to return to college under the current rule in a five-year period.
Judge William Jorden sided with the players in the matter after hearing testimony in the case, including SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. The SEC filed a separate lawsuit against LSU and Kiffin earlier on Thursday, trying to block former professional players in the conference. However, this latest ruling might put that to bed.
Kiffin has advocated for Wright and Harris to be on the Tigers roster. While this might seem backwards, his argument is centered around athletes only attending NFL minicamps or being cut before making final rosters.
Attorneys for the players argued they weren't given the option to return before the NCAA ruled on the five-year rule for eligibility. The fight between the NCAA, SEC and former pro players isn't over, but it just took a significant blow.
LSU intends to add players with previous NFL experience to its roster. But Sankey and the SEC reserve the right to kick LSU out of the conference as well. This will heat up before everything is settled.
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