The ongoing legal battle between the LSU Tigers and the Southeastern Conference took another turn on Wednesday afternoon inside the same courthouse that has drawn plenty of attention over the past two months.
Former St. John’s basketball player RJ Luis has been fighting to play this season for Will Wade and the Tigers, but SEC rules prohibit him from taking the court for LSU due to him signing an NBA contract or having professional experience.
At first, Luis was granted the ability to participate in the upcoming season thanks to an order granted by a Louisiana judge based off a lawsuit filed against the NCAA over its eligibility rules pertaining to the members of the 2022 class who felt as though they should have been enjoined with new guidelines established.
Now, thanks to an injunction granted by a Louisiana judge, RJ Luis has provided LSU with protection to roster him this season if they have the fortitude to continue battling the SEC. The latest injunction granted allows Luis to practice and play with LSU until a Nov. 13 hearing in Baton Rouge, allowing LSU the legal power needed for the Tigers to roster RJ Luis without facing penalties from the SEC.
But, will LSU follow the court’s ruling?
During the time between the order being granted and Wednesday, there has been another case that saw both the SEC and LSU added to a lawsuit that pertained to the eligibility of athletes.
As OutKick previously reported, a judge in the 19th Judicial District Court of Baton Rouge granted an injunction for former athletes that had NFL ‘experience’ in Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris.
It was at the injunction hearing for those two athletes where SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was called to the witness stand, testifying for over three hours on the Thursday before LSU opened the season against Clemson.
Thanks to a ruling by Judge William Jorden in the favor of the athletes, both players were eligible to be rostered by Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers without punishment from the SEC.
But, the threat of recourse by the conference, along with a federal lawsuit filed by the SEC that very same week, saw the LSU athletic department make the decision to keep them off the team.
LSU HOLDS OFF ON ADDING PLAYERS WITH NFL TIES AS SEC LAWSUIT LOOMS OVER PROGRAM, LANE KIFFIN
Now, nearly two months later, LSU basketball coach Will Wade technically has the same decision to make.
After Will Wade noted that he would be following SEC guidelines pertaining to former professional athletes not being added to the official roster, he now faces another decision that should not be that difficult to make, unless he’s worried about being sued.
Attorney Tony Clayton, who is also part of the legal team for Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, told reporters outside the Baton Rouge courthouse on Wednesday that since he added both the conference and LSU to the amended complaint, it provides his client with a path to play this season despite what the SEC guidelines say.
“My client, Mr. Luis, felt that it was in his best interest to file this claim against LSU and the SEC because of the commissioner’s actions and the commissioner’s threat,” attorney Tony Clayton told NOLA.com,
“LSU may be intimidated by ‘Kim Jong’ Sankey, but we’re not.”
Okay, that’s not going to sit well with the conference, as they continue fighting LSU in federal court, in a separate case.
Does RJ Luis actually think he will be rostered by Will Wade this season? Well, attorney Tony Clayton pointed out why in his legal filing he brought LSU into this fight, and why he thinks this provides the Tigers with cover from conference rules.
“The reason why we brought LSU into the suit is because LSU is being threatened by Mr. Sankey,” Clayton told NOLA.com. “LSU is a great institution. Coach Wade is a good guy, a good coach, but both of them need to be forced to allow RJ to play basketball since he’s obviously qualified. And not have the threat of the SEC, which is threatening LSU. In effect, stopping coach Will Wade from letting this kid exercise his fundamental right to play basketball.”
But, if you’ve been paying close attention to what has taken place over the past two months, this might actually come down to monetary damages, and not RJ Luis playing basketball for LSU this season.
According to multiple sources, attorneys for the two former football players could end up bringing a civil suit against the SEC over the coming weeks that seeks damages for them not being rostered by Lane Kiffin and LSU.
In their eyes, it’s the SEC’s threat of action against LSU if they were to roster these athletes that prevented them from playing this season.
So, could the injunction granted to RJ Luis on Wednesday, which remains in effect until a Nov. 13 hearing, be the next step in the former St. John’s basketball star’s lawsuit against the SEC as he seeks monetary damages?
Or, maybe a settlement with all athletes somehow tied to LSU in these cases.
Nothing should surprise you any longer when it comes to matters involving both LSU and the SEC with former professional athletes.
Not even a long game that plays out inside courtrooms from Alabama to Baton Rouge.