The SEC and Commissioner Greg Sankey have been added as defendants in a Louisiana lawsuit involving more than 30 former college athletes seeking a fifth season of eligibility. Attorneys argue the SEC’s rule preventing former professional athletes from returning to college violates a judge’s previous ruling against the NCAA. Governor Jeff Landry told Talk 107-3 in Baton Rouge that he agrees.
“In 48 hours, the SEC, allegedly, was able to go in and to basically ruin 100 kids’ lives, okay? But yet, for six years, they haven’t been able to fix college football,” Landry said.
The lawsuit includes LSU football commits Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris and former Tiger Jack Pyburn. All three signed NFL contracts but are considering returning to college to play for LSU. Landry said it is unfair to punish the athletes for choosing to sign pro contracts when they thought their eligibility had expired.
“There are a lot of kids out there that were told, ‘Hey, you have to leave,’ right? Only to find out that ‘No! We didn’t have to leave!” You could have stayed for the fifth year; and then they institute a five-year rule,” Landry explained.
The preliminary injunction hearing in the case is scheduled for Thursday, just two days before LSU’s season opener against Clemson. The lawsuit is just one of more than a dozen across the country in which players have been granted eligibility. Landry said this chaos could have been avoided if Congress approved the Protect College Sports Act.
“Don’t hate the players, just hate the game. And guess what? Those that are hating the game right now, I don’t blame them. Go call your senators. It just goes to show you the dysfunction of the United States Senate; we can’t even fix something like college sports,” Landry noted.
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