The Big Ten has taken steps to prevent athletes who have signed NFL contracts from joining the conference this season — and in the future.
Following recent developments that have seen former college players enter the professional ranks, only to regain college eligibility through court orders, the conference voted Tuesday to bar those athletes moving forward.
Under the new Big Ten policy, any athlete who has signed with a professional team, declared for the NFL Draft or participated in any type of professional training camp will be ineligible for conference competition.
The decision comes after players in several states were granted injunctions or temporary restraining orders allowing them to play this season.
Most of the lawsuits stem from the NCAA’s new eligibility guidelines, which give athletes five years to play five seasons of college athletics.
Since June, there have been a plethora of lawsuits filed in state courts that have granted athletes an additional season of eligibility, with multiple judges ruling in favor of plaintiffs that argued the NCAA’s new rules should have included them being grandfathered into the process.
In recent days, LSU head coach Lane Kiffin has taken a beating in the court of public opinion, and from many within the SEC, for bringing back players who have already gained NFL experience.
This includes former Ole Miss football players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who are both set to join the LSU roster thanks to a ruling from the 19th District Court of Louisiana that granted them an additional season of eligibility.
But, there have been plenty others who have gone down this route, winning cases in state courts that allow them to return this season. Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson is another, who sued the NCAA in a Texas court for an additional season.
In the SEC, there are meetings taking place over the next 24 hours that include Presidents, Chancellors and athletic directors. They are discussing their path forward, with a number of them in favor of the conference implementing the same rule as the Big Ten.
The problem is that LSU sees its own way around the conference ruling, thanks to a Louisiana court order.
If the conference were to start governing themselves more than normal, we could end up seeing a school like LSU testing the legal strength of a court order, by including the SEC in a lawsuit against the NCAA.
Officials from LSU will be in Birmingham, Alabama with their colleagues this week discussing the ongoing situation. A majority of SEC officials are against the idea of athletes with NFL experience returning to college, according to sources.
While the Tigers could back off their stance to take athletes from the NFL, head coach Lane Kiffin has essentially put his foot in the ground when it comes to this disagreement.
“So, you know, we have you know 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. And through them winning their injunction and entry into the portal, they’re available to recruit,” Kiffin noted on Monday.
“So ourselves, like many places around the country, are recruiting them. At the end of the day, you know, because of these rulings, they’re either going to play for you or they’re going to play somewhere else around the country. So, we made a decision to recruit them, like probably most people are.”
Will this turn into a legal battle within the SEC?
Sure, it could, if the Tigers administration feels as though it could win the court battle that could be lying ahead with its own conference.
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There are plenty of SEC officials who would like to see the conference go the same route as the Big Ten, with the ACC and Big 12 discussing their own path forward with a new rule.
Time will tell, but there seems to be a battle brewing in the Bayou.
And, it could involve a team deciding it is prepared to battle its own conference over a new rule.
