SEC Could Open Fresh Investigation Into Lane Kiffin’s Involvement in Players’ Lawsuit if LSU Ignores Clemson’s Warning: Report

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LSU has until Friday to finalize its roster. That decision carries weight because three former NFL players could be included despite the SEC’s stance on former professionals returning to college football. The former pros that Lane Kiffin brought into the program include Dae’Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris, and Junior Tuihalamaka. But if that happens, there could be consequences.

Attorney Tom Mars reacted to CBS Sports’ reporting by suggesting the SEC could investigate Lane Kiffin if LSU goes ahead with the former NFL players.

“If LSU rosters the ineligible former NFL players today,” he wrote on X, “I would expect the SEC to open an investigation into whether Lane Kiffin had a role in orchestrating the Louisiana lawsuit. That investigation wouldn’t be difficult and could be enhanced by having the subpoena power of the federal and state courts.”

Mars also raised the possibility of severe punishment if evidence supports those claims. He said Greg Sankey and the SEC could have wide-ranging options, including potentially “barring Lane from coaching in the SEC,” which goes on to show just how heated this dispute has become.

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This comes after a federal injunction issued Thursday by Louisiana district court judge William Jorden cleared the way for LSU to add two players fresh off short-lived NFL stints back onto its roster, namely tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris. Both had played under new Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin during his previous stop at Ole Miss, and each has signaled plans to sign with the 11th-ranked Tigers ahead of Friday’s roster deadline, a day before LSU hosts Clemson in its season opener.

Earlier the same day, the SEC took the dispute to court, filing suit in Alabama against Kiffin and a group of LSU administrators in an effort to keep Wright and Harris off the field. For now, the judge’s order favors the players, barring the SEC and NCAA from penalizing LSU, or any other school, for adding the athletes named in the case to their rosters.

SEC presidents and chancellors had unanimously approved a rule preventing former professional athletes from competing in the conference. LSU then abstained from a separate vote approving the penalties for violating that rule, which passed 15-0.

But even before Thursday’s court hearing in Louisiana, the SEC had been looking at several possible responses, per CBS Sports’ John Talty. Those include game forfeitures, a federal lawsuit and, in an extreme case, expulsion from the conference. ESPN’s Pete Thamel also told Sports Center that “significant potential punishments loom” for LSU if they add Wright and Harris to their roster.

“The risk is significant for LSU,” he said. “A half-season suspension for Lane Kiffin, tens of millions of dollars in fines, their voting privileges, plus Greg Sankey, who grinded through three hours of testimony in that West Baton Rouge courtroom yesterday, has the autonomy to make his own punishment. So we will know by 11.59 p.m. local tonight whether or not those gentlemen are added to the LSU football roster.”

Clemson has already warned LSU that using those NFL players could violate the contract between the two schools, according to an email obtained by Yahoo Sports. Dabo Swinney’s Tigers still plan to play Saturday’s game. It is not asking LSU for money or threatening legal action.

But school officials have reviewed the contract and believe it contains language preventing ineligible players from taking part. The school’s message is that LSU’s ongoing legal battle does not wipe away its contractual responsibilities.

Even Nick Saban has already urged LSU to think carefully about what comes next.

“If I was LSU, I’d be very careful about how I proceed here,” he said.

That may be the real problem for LSU. Even a favorable ruling Thursday doesn’t necessarily end this. The College Football Playoff is also considering whether teams that use players deemed ineligible under NCAA rules could face postseason consequences. So LSU’s decision on Friday is about much more than Saturday’s game against Clemson. It could decide how much bigger this fight becomes.

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