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- Derek Weston via fox - Most Popular
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SEC and Big Ten enact new eligibility rules as court orders allow athletes to play
ReSEC and Big Ten enact new eligibility rules as court orders allow athletes to play
The SEC and Big Ten voted to block athletes with professional experience from reentering college competition, setting up a legal clash with court orders that have granted eligibility to players in multiple states.
The SEC and Big Ten have voted to enact new eligibility rules that would prevent athletes with professional experience from returning to college competition, setting up a direct confrontation with court orders that have allowed players to join teams this season. The ACC and Big 12 are expected to follow suit, creating a unified front among the nation's most powerful conferences.
The decision comes in response to injunctions and temporary restraining orders issued by judges in several states, which have granted additional eligibility to athletes who had signed with professional teams, declared for the NFL Draft, or participated in professional training camps. Under the NCAA's current guidelines, athletes are given five years to play five seasons of college athletics, but the new conference rules would impose stricter standards on those who have tested the professional waters.
On Tuesday evening, SEC presidents and chancellors voted unanimously on how to proceed with the new guidelines, according to multiple sources. The conference has also granted commissioner Greg Sankey the authority to enforce the rules, including the power to suspend coaches and impose monetary fines on schools that violate them. The vote was unanimous, though sources indicated that legal action could still be taken in the coming days.
Attorney Ryan Downton, who represents a number of affected players, said his clients are currently working on a legal strategy to challenge both the NCAA and the conferences that have enacted the new guidelines. He accused the conferences of attempting to circumvent court orders.
“The SEC’s actions put the NCAA in contempt of multiple court orders,” Downton told OutKick-Fox News on Tuesday night. “It is cartel-like conduct when NCAA conferences attempt to create their own spur of the moment rules in response to Courts enjoining those same rules at the NCAA level.”
At the center of the controversy is LSU coach Lane Kiffin, who has been among the most vocal advocates for recruiting players who have gained NFL experience. Kiffin defended his approach, arguing that if he did not pursue these athletes, another school would.
“We have made a decision to recruit some kids around the country, and through these multiple injunctions around the country, which, this is not a first time in college sports, a group of players were granted a fifth year of eligibility, in multiple sports,” Kiffin said on Monday. “At the end of the day, because of these rulings, they’re either going to play for you or they’re going to play somewhere else around the country.”
Among the players affected are former Ole Miss football players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who are set to join the LSU roster following a ruling from the 19th District Court of Louisiana that granted them an additional season of eligibility. Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson has also sued the NCAA in a Texas court for an additional season.
Attorney Darren Heitner, who represents Wright, said the SEC should abide by the Louisiana court order. “He should be rostered by LSU and be a great contributor for the Tigers,” Heitner said. “The SEC should heed the court order recently issued by a Louisiana judge.”
The question now is whether schools like LSU will move forward with bringing in athletes knowing that doing so would violate conference rules, even as courts have deemed it legal. The coming days are likely to bring further legal filings and potential sanctions as the conferences and the courts continue to clash over the eligibility landscape.
