BATON ROUGE, La. — SEC presidents and chancellors imposed no punishment on LSU during a videoconference Thursday that court records had said would “decide whether to terminate Louisiana State University.”
A vote on expulsion came off the agenda Wednesday, Tiger Rag reported, after LSU backed away from adding former NFL rookies Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to its roster. Both played for LSU coach Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss before signing with NFL teams as undrafted free agents this spring.
The conference posted a two-sentence statement to X after the call. It did not mention LSU by name.
“The presidents and chancellors of the Southeastern Conference met Thursday by videoconference to discuss recent matters involving conference expectations and responsibilities,” the SEC said. “Those discussions will continue as the conference and its member universities work toward an appropriate resolution.”
LSU president Wade Rousse joined the call only briefly, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Rousse told the other participants he had been advised by counsel not to take part, because he and LSU are named defendants in the SEC’s pending federal litigation.
Under SEC rules, terminating a school’s membership takes a vote of at least two-thirds of the league’s presidents. LSU was a founding member of the conference in 1933, according to The Associated Press.
Wade Rousse Told Greg Sankey LSU Complied With SEC Rules
On Wednesday, Rousse wrote to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey that the Tigers had complied with conference rules by not rostering former pros. According to the letter, obtained by On3’s Wilson Alexander, Rousse called Sankey on the afternoon of Sept. 4 to tell him LSU would not place Wright or Harris on its roster. Rousse called the issue “moot.”
Sources told Thamel on Tuesday that LSU was adding two players to complete its 105-man roster for the 2026 season. CBS Sports confirmed that night that sophomore cornerback Aidan Anding and junior defensive end Gabriel Reliford filled the final two spots. Those additions ended any chance of Wright or Harris playing for LSU this season.
The SEC filed suit against LSU on Sept. 3 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Its complaint accuses the university of violating the league’s First Amendment right of expressive association by ignoring conference rules that bar signing and playing former NFL players. Kiffin, Rousse, and athletic director Verge Ausberry are among the named defendants, On3’s Alex Byington reported.
The conference amended that complaint Tuesday to seek the authority to expel LSU. The amended filing cited a remark Kiffin made to ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe at halftime of the Tigers’ 51-10 win over Clemson on Sept. 5. With LSU ahead 31-3, Kiffin told Rowe, “Imagine if we had pro players.”
Sankey also filed a declaration with the amended complaint. In it, he said the presidents met to discuss LSU on Sept. 4, a day after he testified at a court hearing. Their consensus, Sankey said, was that LSU’s continued membership would be “inconsistent with the publicly stated values and principles of the conference” even if the Tigers left the former NFL players off the roster, the AP reported. On Wednesday, a temporary restraining order hearing in the federal case was postponed to a date to be determined.
Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris Reviewing Legal Options
A Louisiana judge had cleared Wright and Harris to return for a fifth season of college football and transfer to LSU. Baton Rouge Judge William Jorden granted the preliminary injunction Sept. 3 to a group of athletes who began college in 2022. The ruling also blocked the SEC from enforcing its rule against schools that sign former NFL, NBA, and WNBA players, Tiger Rag reported.
The SEC adopted that rule Aug. 25 during a meeting of league presidents, chancellors, and athletic directors in Birmingham, Ala. Sources told Thamel at the time that the vote was 16-0. The policy bars SEC schools from rostering any athlete who signed a contract with an NFL, NBA, or WNBA team or was listed on one of their rosters. Sankey has the authority to enforce it with penalties against member schools.
Wright caught 113 passes for 1,603 yards and 9 touchdowns in four college seasons, two at Virginia Tech and two at Ole Miss. He was a second-team All-SEC pick in 2025. After going undrafted in April, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, who waived him before the Cleveland Browns claimed him Aug. 11.
Harris spent all four of his college seasons at Ole Miss. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 330 pounds, he signed with the New Orleans Saints in May, opened training camp on the active/non-football injury list, and was waived Aug. 8, WAFB reported.
At the Sept. 3 hearing in Baton Rouge, Wright testified that he earned $25,000 from the Eagles and nothing from the Browns, 247Sports reported. Harris testified that the Saints paid him $190 to cover gas money.
Attorney Ryan Downton, who represents both players, told ESPN on Tuesday that they are considering their legal options. Drew Rosenhaus, Wright’s agent, said Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show that multiple NFL teams are interested in his client. The NFL is “still trying to decide if they’re going to let him try out,” Rosenhaus said.
LSU (1-0) hosts Louisiana Tech at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. The Tigers open SEC play Sept. 19 at Ole Miss, with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.
