The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has filed a lawsuit against Louisiana State University (LSU), its president Wade Rousse, athletics director Verge Ausberry and head football coach Lane Kiffin, accusing them of deliberately conspiring to recruit and field professional athletes in defiance of conference rules. The filing, lodged in the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama on Thursday, coincided with a separate court hearing in Baton Rouge over whether professional players can regain NCAA eligibility, a case with major implications for how college football and NFL contracts intersect.

The SEC alleges LSU sought to recruit players who had signed NFL contracts with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, intending to place them on its roster for the 2026-27 season despite member schools having agreed professional athletes should not return to college sport. Commissioner Greg Sankey, who was being questioned by plaintiffs when the suit was filed, submitted an affidavit noting SEC presidents voted 15-0 in favour of the relevant rules, with Rousse abstaining. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, also present at the hearing, argued the NCAA had subjected the athletes to a "classic bait-and-switch" with its shifting eligibility rules; LSU had not responded to a request for comment.