SEC presidents approved stiff penalties to deter schools from signing players with pro experience, with one notable school — LSU — sitting out.
LSU abstained from Wednesday’s vote on penalties, a source familiar with the vote confirmed on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. That came a day after the school was part of a unanimous, 16-0 vote to enforce rules against fielding athletes who dropped out of pro leagues.
LSU football coach Lane Kiffin has recruited at least two players who were made NCAA eligible by a Louisiana court injunction, and LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade was pursuing another player.
Neither Kiffin, Wade nor LSU’s administration has offered public comment since the SEC announced Tuesday night that it would enforce the bans against pros. That announcement said commissioner Greg Sankey was “authorized to enforce this expectation with penalties.” On Wednesday morning, schools were issued specifics:
• The coach suspended for half of the season.
• A fine of 50 percent of that fiscal year’s operating budget for that sport.
• The school’s loss of voting privileges on conference business matters.
• And any additional penalties the commissioner and presidents deem appropriate.
Those penalties are similar to what the NCAA approved to penalize so-called ghost transfers — players who evade the transfer portal window by leaving one school and enrolling in another. The Big Ten introduced similar penalties earlier Tuesday when it voted against allowing former pro athletes to return to its rosters.
The issue is the latest off-field mess for college athletics, bubbling to the surface after various courts issued injunctions allowing fifth-year players to return to school. The NCAA passed an age-based eligibility rule in June that gave athletes a five-year window to play in college, but did not grandfather in Class of 2022 high school athletes who exhausted their eligibility under the previous standard. Lawyers for players — and Kiffin — have argued they should have the right to return, even if they signed a pro contract.
The injunctions in state courts, including Louisiana, are against the NCAA. The SEC and Big Ten have interpreted the injunctions as not covering individual conferences.
Lawyers for players said Tuesday night that the SEC’s rule put the NCAA in contempt, but as of Wednesday afternoon had not filed suit against the SEC. The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office has not been involved in the issue.
SEC presidents and athletic directors were wrapping up their previously scheduled meetings in Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday afternoon and so far have not issued any comment other than the announcement on Tuesday night.
