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

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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 drivers’ seat as LSU behaves 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.’”

Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images

SEC sues LSU, alleging a coordinated push to recruit ex-pro athletes in defiance of rules

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 news 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.”

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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.”

Altan Gocher/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images

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.

Mitchell Scaglione/LSU Athletics/Getty Images

Fog surrounds LSU’s men’s basketball team as it rushes to fill out a roster

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.

乔纳森·梅尔赫斯/加州体育媒体/美联社

用法律术语来说，美国证券交易委员会周二对路易斯安那州立大学提出的驳回联邦诉讼的动议作出回应，称其尚未准备好结束这场争论，因为“争议仍然存在”。

用更通俗易懂的育儿术语来说，SEC（美国证券交易委员会）对这个惹是生非的孩子已经到了“否则后果自负”的阶段。路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）乖乖地坐在后座，而SEC却坐在驾驶座上，SEC实际上是在说，如果LSU再不收敛，不守规矩，他们就会扭转局面。

问题在于：在联盟威胁要处以包括开除在内的处罚后，莱恩·基芬最终放弃了让两名未来可能进入 NFL 的球员上场的计划两个月后，男篮教练威尔·韦德试图并且仍在试图让多名已被选中或参加过 NBA 选秀的球员加入球队，这与联盟的政策直接冲突。

“被告辩称，他们最终决定不将这些球员列入名单，从而使此案失去意义，这就像说有人被发现偷吃饼干后，把手拿出来就解决了问题一样，”联盟在回应中写道。“更糟糕的是，被告的手仍然在饼干罐里。路易斯安那州立大学男子篮球队继续违反职业道德准则，其主教练也承诺对此‘毫不后悔’。”

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美国证券交易委员会（SEC）起诉路易斯安那州立大学（LSU），指控其违反规定，有组织地招募前职业运动员。

在提交文件后的第二天早上举行的美国证券交易委员会篮球媒体日上，专员格雷格·桑基拒绝就此案作进一步说明，只说：“关于这些问题，我们将让文件本身来说明一切。”

但联盟主席的语气意味深长。他对学校屡次违反规则的做法既不满意，也不觉得好笑。路易斯安那州立大学或许自诩为特立独行者，但东南联盟更视他们为法外之徒。

“我不想上法庭，”他说。

桑基后来在接受 CNN 体育频道采访时表示，整件肮脏的事情“令人非常不舒服”。

Butch Dill/Imagn Images/路透社

但联盟主席和联盟显然担心，如果路易斯安那州立大学继续试图规避规则，他们将束手无策，而且确实需要保护自身利益。这很大程度上源于韦德所说的他“非传统”的阵容构建方式。

这位教练招募了三名篮球运动员——RJ Luis、Saliou Niang 和 Brice Dessert——他们都曾不同程度地参与过NBA选秀。这与美国证券交易委员会（SEC）的政策直接冲突，该政策规定任何“曾宣布参加NFL、NBA或WNBA选秀但未按规定撤回”的运动员都不得参赛。

路易斯的名字确实出现在了法律回应中。他曾与多支NBA球队签约，但在四月份赢得了一项法院禁令，得以代表路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）出战。欣喜若狂的韦德前往法庭庆祝禁令的生效。周二，这位教练似乎已经接受了现实，表示路易斯“不在球队名单上”，学校将遵循东南联盟（SEC）关于其参赛资格的规定。

但在一次 Zoom 会议上，当被问及包括 Niang 和 Dessert 在内的其他球员时，韦德表示：“我对这群球员获得参赛资格感到乐观——那些真正在我们名单上、真正在我们球队里的球员，我们觉得他们会获得参赛资格。”

Altan Gocher/Hans Lucas/法新社/盖蒂图片社

尼昂是一名在意大利长大的塞内加尔球员，在2025年NBA选秀中被选中，总排名第58位。虽然他没有签下NBA合同，但他参加了三场夏季联赛。德塞尔特是一名曾在海外职业联赛效力的法国球员，他也参加了2025年的选秀，但最终落选。

当被问及这些球员的具体情况时，桑基再次重申了他的立场，即“让文件本身来说明一切”。文件中写道：“路易斯安那州立大学也招募了一些国际职业篮球运动员，但他们的参赛资格仍存在疑问。路易斯安那州立大学男篮主教练坦率地谈到了学校的策略：‘我们对此毫不掩饰。这就是我们。这就是我们正在做的事情。这是我们规划的道路。我们会坚持走下去，这没什么不好。’”

联盟至少暂停了最初的诉求——即申请临时限制令或初步禁令，以阻止路易斯安那州立大学干预联盟对该校是否应被除名的投票权。但联盟希望保留在“必要时”寻求此类救济的大门。

文件最后写道：“双方之间存在着激烈的争议。”

米切尔·斯卡利昂/路易斯安那州立大学体育部/盖蒂图片社

路易斯安那州立大学男篮在浓雾笼罩下，正抓紧时间组建球队。

联盟真正将路易斯安那州立大学除名的可能性微乎其微。说白了，这所学校就是个摇钱树。尽管据报道该校自身亏损高达2600万美元，但它仍然是东南联盟的摇钱树，定期为联盟带来名气、传统、历史以及一大批忠实球迷。

然而，该联盟还是有一些应对之策的。

8月份，当基芬还在犹豫是否要招揽那些有望进入NFL的球员时，各大学校长一致通过了一项针对招揽NFL、NBA或WNBA球员的学校的新纪律政策（路易斯安那州立大学弃权）。据ESPN报道，处罚选项包括：教练停赛半个赛季；罚款最高可达该运动年度预算的50%；以及取消联盟投票权。