The fight between the SEC and LSU isn’t over and the Tigers still could be kicked out of the conference

By Dana O’Neil, CNN

Birmingham, Alabama (CNN) — In legalese, the SEC on Tuesday filed a response to LSU’s motion to dismiss a federal lawsuit filed by the conference in September saying that it’s not ready to close the door on the argument because “the dispute remains live.”

In more understandable parenting parlance, the SEC is at the “or else” stage with its troublesome child. Sitting in the driver’s’ seat as LSU misbehaves in the backseat, the SEC is basically saying it will turn this thing around if LSU doesn’t knock it off and behave.

At issue: Two months after Lane Kiffin eventually backed down on playing two would-be NFL players after the conference threatened penalties up to – and including – expulsion, men’s basketball coach Will Wade tried and continues to try to add multiple players who have been drafted or gone through the NBA draft in direct conflict to the conference’s policy.

“Defendants’ argument that they mooted this case by deciding, at last, not to roster the players is like saying that someone caught with his hand in the cookie jar has cured the problem by pulling it out,” the conference writes in its response. “What’s more, Defendants still have their hands in the jar. LSU’s men’s basketball program continues to defy the Professionalism Rules and its head coach promises to be ‘unapologetic about it.’”

At SEC basketball media day the morning after the filing, commissioner Greg Sankey refused to elaborate on the case, saying only, “We will let the filing speak for itself on these issues.”

But the commissioner’s tone spoke volumes. He’s not happy, nor is he amused by the school’s insistence to continually thumb its nose at the rules. LSU might view themselves as renegades; the SEC sees them more as outlaws.

“I’d like to not be in court,” he said.

Speaking to CNN Sports later, Sankey said that the whole sordid thing is “incredibly uncomfortable.”

But the commissioner and the league clearly fear they have both no recourse and a real need to protect themselves should LSU continue to try and circumvent its rules. That’s largely based on what Wade has termed his “unconventional” roster-building approach.

The coach has recruited three basketball players – R.J. Luis, Saliou Niang and Brice Dessert – who have had varying degrees of NBA involvement. That’s in direct conflict to the SEC’s policy, which states that any athlete who has “previously declared for the NFL, NBA or WNBA and did not properly withdraw” cannot compete.

Luis, who is actually named in the legal response. signed multiple NBA contracts but won a court injunction in April to play at LSU. A jubilant Wade went to court and celebrated the injunction. On Tuesday, the coach appeared to have gotten his dose of medicine, saying that Luis was “not rostered,” and that the school would follow SEC protocols regarding his eligibility.

But when asked during a Zoom specifically about other players, including Niang and Dessert, Wade said he “feel good about that group getting eligible – the ones that were actually on our roster, the ones that were actually on our team, we feel like those guys will get eligible.”

Niang, a Senegalese player raised in Italy, was drafted 58th overall in the 2025 NBA draft. Though he did not sign an NBA contract, he appeared in three Summer League games. Dessert, a Frenchman who played professionally overseas, went through the draft process as well in 2025 but went undrafted.

Asked specifically about those players, Sankey again reiterated his stance to “let the filing speak for itself.” From the filing: “LSU has also recruited international professional basketball players whose eligibility remains in question. LSU’s head men’s basketball coach has been candid about LSU’s strategy: ‘We’re going to be unapologetic about it. This is who we are. This is what we’re doing. This is the path that we charted. We’re going to go down it, and that’s fine.’”

The league has at least put a pause on its initial ask – a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction to prevent LSU from interfering with the league’s right to vote on the school’s expulsion. But it wants to keep the door open to seek such relief “if and when necessary.”

“A live controversy exists between the parties,” the document reads in conclusion.

The odds of the league actually expelling LSU are slim. The school is, to put it bluntly, a cash cow. Despite the school’s own reported $26 million deficit, it is a money maker for the SEC, bringing name recognition, tradition, history and a boatload of fans to the table on the regular.

The league, however, does have a few arrows in its quiver.

In August, when Kiffin was dithering about adding his would-be NFLers, the presidents unanimously (LSU abstained from the vote) approved a new discipline policy for schools that roster NFL, NBA or WNBA players. The penalty options, as reported by ESPN, include a half-season suspension for a coach; a fine up to 50% of the sport’s annual budget and revocation of league voting rights.

The-CNN-Wire
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