Missing out on Mark Mitchell saved Kentucky from LSU’s SEC nightmare
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Missing out on Mark Mitchell was a tough pill for Big Blue Nation to swallow. But as the college sports landscape descends into unprecedented legal chaos that keeps snowballing, that recruiting miss might just be the biggest bullet Kentucky dodged all off-season. Seriously, nearly 60 separate state and federal lawsuits have been brought against the NCAA regarding player eligibility rules since the 5-years-to-play-5 was announced.
While the Wildcats may have lost Mitchell’s 13 and 5 a night, LSU is currently staring down the barrel of a conference-wide rebellion that could fundamentally alter the SEC in ways I didn’t think were possible.
The Baton Rouge loophole
At the heart of the drama is a Louisiana state court ruling that granted more than 40 athletes, including several who had already signed professional contracts and competed in NFL preseason games, a fifth year of college eligibility.
A Baton Rouge judge initially prohibited the NCAA from enforcing its rules against former pros returning to the amateur ranks. Jack Plyburn was a name to watch, saying he would return to LSU if he were cut. He would eventually be cut by the Bucs but signed with the Chiefs and told LSU he would stay in the NFL.
Late last week, that same judge accepted an amended complaint to block the SEC from enforcing its own professional-player ban. And the SEC said it would not enforce its rule stating players can only transfer to another conference team while the portal is open, which opened the way for Mitchell to stay. But sources did say they would be fighting that, and that is probably a big factor in Mitchell’s decision to return to Missouri.
LSU recently signaled it will comply with the local court order, paving the way for it to sign these former professionals to its roster actively. The rest of the SEC, however, is furious.
The SEC threatens extreme measures
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported that high-ranking SEC executives from the other 15 universities are exploring aggressive, unprecedented avenues to stop LSU. The possibilities on the table include boycotting games against the Tigers, placing the school on probation, filing a federal legal challenge, and even kicking LSU out of the SEC.
The frustration behind closed doors is reaching a boiling point. According to anonymous sources within the league, the sentiment among SEC brass is united: “Enough is enough. This is ridiculous.” One source even offered a direct threat regarding LSU’s standing in the conference, warning, “There are plenty of other schools that would take [LSU’s] place.”
While the league’s 48-page bylaws don’t explicitly outline a procedure for kicking a school out of the conference, the university presidents hold a massive trump card. Under Section 4.1.2 of the SEC bylaws, the chancellors and presidents hold the authority to ban a member from championship competition and “impose any other penalty which they consider appropriate.”
The option is there, and it sounds like they are really exploring it.
The Big 12 precedent and sovereign immunity
This entire saga is viewed as the first major test of conference “self-governance.” If the SEC allows one school to completely shatter a league-wide rule without facing severe repercussions, the conference effectively loses all structural authority over its members, or that’s the worry.
The 15 other SEC presidents are weighing a federal legal challenge, navigating the complexities of “sovereign immunity” under the Eleventh Amendment (which protects all SEC public universities, leaving only Vanderbilt without it). Fortunately for the SEC, they have a recent roadmap to follow.
Just this past June, Brett Yormark and the Big 12 filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Tech to stop the school from playing Brendan Sorsby, a quarterback who admitted to wagering on games while he was at Cincinnati. The Big 12 asked a federal judge to grant an injunction, citing their First Amendment rights to enforce their bylaws and the dormant Commerce Clause. The aggressive legal route worked, as Texas Tech ultimately separated from Sorsby, who is now waiting for next year’s NFL Draft.
For Kentucky, the Mitchell miss stings a lot less when looking at the alternative. Building a roster the traditional way in Lexington is challenging, but it undeniably beats risking the wrath of the most powerful conference in college sports.
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