Georgia AG threatens legal action as LSU, SEC clash over former NFL players
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is urging the SEC to consider suspending or removing LSU from the conference if the school puts former professional football players on its roster.
Carr made the request in a Sept. 2 letter to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey obtained by CBS Sports. The letter comes amid a legal fight over whether players who entered the NFL can return to college football.
"If LSU does in fact roster one or more pro athletes or demonstrates concrete plans to do so, we would strongly encourage the SEC to take all measures available to address this conduct, up to and including suspending and/or removing LSU from the Conference," Carr wrote.
The SEC recently reaffirmed a policy barring its schools from rostering athletes who declared for a professional draft and did not properly withdraw, signed with a professional team or appeared on a professional roster.
Schools that violate the policy could face a fine equal to 50% of that sport's annual operating budget. A head coach could also be suspended for half of the season.
Judges in Texas and Louisiana issued temporary orders last week blocking the SEC and its schools from enforcing the policy. Carr questioned how LSU plans to proceed while the Louisiana case remains before the court.
"No institution should be allowed to ignore the obligations of Conference membership while continuing to receive the benefits of membership," Carr wrote.
Former Ole Miss players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris are seeking permission to play for LSU after participating in the NFL preseason. Both went through the NFL draft process and were later cut from professional rosters, according to CBS Sports.
Carr said his office reserves the right to use "all legal means necessary" to protect the University of Georgia, its athletes and the integrity of college sports.
"College sports are for college athletes only," Carr wrote. "However, the rules cannot be ignored or twisted to benefit one coach, one institution, or one program, and we refuse to stand by while that happens."
The dispute escalated Thursday when the SEC filed a lawsuit against LSU and coach Lane Kiffin. The conference alleges that Kiffin and LSU coordinated an effort to recruit professional athletes for the 2026 season in violation of SEC rules.
"Despite the SEC's longstanding rules prohibiting professional athletes from returning to college athletics, Defendants saw this as an opportunity to be exploited," the conference alleged in its lawsuit.
The SEC is asking the court to stop LSU and Kiffin from violating the conference's eligibility policy.
