The Southeastern Conference announced it will appeal a court ruling that permits two former NFL players to sign with LSU.
U.S. District Judge William Jorden issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday, barring the NCAA and SEC from penalizing LSU for fielding Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The former Ole Miss players, who were waived by NFL teams, have joined coach Lane Kiffin in Baton Rouge and have been practicing with the squad.
The SEC intends to prevent the pair from returning to college football after they inked professional contracts.
“We disagree with the court’s decision,” the SEC said in a statement. “The SEC’s presidents and chancellors unanimously adopted a clear and reasonable standard: Member universities should not place former professional athletes on their rosters. The conference and its member universities have the right to establish, through agreed-upon governance procedures, the rules under which they voluntarily compete and to expect those rules to be followed.”
“The SEC will continue to defend this standard, the principle of fair competition, and the conference’s authority to govern competition among its member universities.”
