Amended complaint with LSU commits lists SEC, Greg Sankey as defendants
· Yahoo Sports
BATON ROUGE – The attorneys representing the group of former college student-athletes that are fighting for a fifth year of eligibility have responded to the Southeastern Conference's recently adopted ban of former professional athletes.
The SEC and its commissioner, Greg Sankey, have been added to the injunction that has been filed in an East Baton Rouge Parish court, lawyer Tony Clayton revealed on an ESPN 104.5 interview Thursday, Aug. 27.
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The amendment to the complaint is a direct respond to the league's brand-new policy that prohibits athletes who have declared for the NFL, NBA or WNBA, signed a contract with one of those leagues and athletes who have been rostered by any professional organization on those leagues. Per the conference's release, Sankey was given full authorization to punish schools in violation of the new policy.
With the update, the preliminary hearing for the motion has been moved back from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3, two days prior to LSU's 2026 season opener against Clemson. Judge Will Jorden granted a TRO to the athletes off the initial injunction, which awarded the fifth year.
LSU has garnered commitments from three total former college athletes that are among the 33 listed in the complaint, but two of those are more notable as tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris have signed and been rostered on NFL teams this offseason. Wright was recently waived by the Cleveland Browns, and Harris played for the New Orleans Saints before suffering an injury that led to his exit from the organization.
The initial petition listed mainly just the NCAA as a defendant.
But as the new SEC policy stands, Harris and Wright would not be permitted to play for LSU. Otherwise, LSU football coach Lane Kiffin would be subjected to a half-season suspension, and the football program would be docked half of its annual operating budget.
Attorneys for the athletes in the injunction have said they are hopeful Jorden will enjoin the amended TRO with the previous one and uphold the ruling that grants the players their fifth year of eligibility.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Amended complaint with LSU commits lists SEC, Greg Sankey as defendants