NFL reiterates in memo that 2 players who left the pros to play at LSU also can’t play in the league this year

Getty Images, Reuters

The two football players at the center of the debate over former professional players returning to the college game remain in limbo after the NFL notified teams they are ineligible to play this season.

In a memo sent to top front-office staff and head coaches around the league on Wednesday, the NFL Player Personnel Department said defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and tight end Dae’Quan Wright are ineligible for the remainder of the 2026 campaign. This comes after the NFL last month said players who return to college would forfeit their eligiblilty to play in the league this season.

Harris and Wright were “eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft, returned to college and participated with their college football team after the opening of NFL training camp, and therefore they are ineligible to visit, tryout with, or be signed by NFL clubs during the 2026 NFL season,” the memo stated.

Harris and Wright both spent time in NFL training camps over the summer as undrafted free agents before being waived. Recent court decisions briefly opened their paths to returning to the college ranks, prompting both players to enroll at Louisiana State University (LSU) with hopes of playing for head coach Lane Kiffin and the Tigers this season.

A Louisiana court ruled that the school could allow Wright and Harris to play on the Tigers’ football team despite both players having spent time in NFL training camps over the summer. Both players are now enrolled at LSU but Kiffin left them off his roster for the season-opening blowout win over Clemson.

Kiffin initially held two roster spots open, signaling that Wright and Harris could fill them at a later date. That move set in motion a chaotic sequence of events heading into the season’s second week.

The players’ presence with the team, and Kiffin’s intent to put them on his active roster, started a massive showdown between the school and the Southeastern Conference, which had passed a rule banning former professional players from competing for member schools. The standoff escalated to the point where the SEC threatened severe sanctions, including potential expulsion from the conference.

LSU eventually filled the roster spots with two other players, defusing the immediate standoff and suspending discussions regarding the conference penalizing out one of its founding members.

However, the fallout now deepens for Wright and Harris, who were under the impression that they would be able to play college ball again this year and improve their standing with NFL teams after failing to catch on this year.

With the SEC blocking their return to college and the NFL closing its doors for the year, both players remain stranded – unable to play at either level in 2026.

图片来源：Getty Images、路透社

关于前职业球员重返大学赛场的争论焦点在于两名橄榄球运动员，在 NFL 通知各队他们本赛季没有参赛资格后，这两名球员的去留仍然悬而未决。

NFL球员人事部门周三向联盟各队高层管理人员和主教练发出备忘录，宣布防守截锋泽西维安·哈里斯和近端锋达奎恩·赖特将无缘参加2026赛季剩余的比赛。此前，NFL上个月曾表示，重返大学的球员将失去本赛季的参赛资格。

备忘录中写道：“哈里斯和赖特有资格参加 2026 年 NFL 选秀，但在 NFL 训练营开始后，他们回到了大学，并参加了大学橄榄球队的训练，因此他们没有资格在 2026 年 NFL 赛季期间访问、试训或与 NFL 俱乐部签约。”

哈里斯和赖特都曾在夏季以落选自由球员的身份参加过NFL训练营，但随后都被裁掉。最近的法院判决一度为他们重返大学联赛打开了大门，促使两人都选择进入路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）就读，希望能在本赛季为莱恩·基芬教练和老虎队效力。

路易斯安那州一家法院裁定，尽管赖特和哈里斯都曾在夏季参加过NFL训练营，但学校仍可以允许他们代表老虎队出战。目前两人均已注册路易斯安那州立大学，但主教练基芬并未将他们列入赛季揭幕战对阵克莱姆森大学的比赛名单，那场比赛老虎队大胜对手。

基芬最初预留了两个阵容名额，暗示赖特和哈里斯可以在之后填补这些空缺。这一举动引发了一系列混乱的事件，并最终导致了赛季第二周的到来。

这些球员的出现，以及基芬教练打算将他们列入激活名单的意图，引发了学校与东南联盟之间的一场激烈冲突。此前，东南联盟通过了一项规定，禁止前职业球员代表其成员学校参赛。双方僵持不下，最终东南联盟威胁要采取严厉制裁措施，包括可能将球队逐出联盟。

路易斯安那州立大学最终用另外两名球员填补了阵容空缺，缓和了当前的僵局，并暂停了关于联盟处罚其创始成员之一的讨论。

然而，对于赖特和哈里斯来说，现在的后果更加严重了，他们原本以为今年可以再次参加大学联赛，并在今年未能被 NFL 球队选中后提高自己在 NFL 球队中的地位。

由于美国证券交易委员会 (SEC) 阻止他们重返大学，而美国国家橄榄球联盟 (NFL) 也宣布本赛季结束，这两名球员仍然被困住——2026 年无法参加任何级别的比赛。