Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has weighed in on the escalating row between LSU and the rest of the Southeastern Conference over LSU's use of former college players who had signed professional NFL contracts, likening the dispute to a parent disciplining a rebellious teenager. New LSU coach Lane Kiffin sparked the controversy by recruiting former players with pro contracts, prompting the SEC and Big Ten to try to ban such players before a court battle ensued; a judge ultimately granted an injunction allowing two of them to play this season.

The conflict escalated after Kiffin made a sarcastic remark about "pro players" during a game against Clemson, which the SEC cited in an amended legal complaint, and reports emerged that the conference's other 15 schools might vote to expel LSU at a meeting on 10 September. LSU appeared to back down, leaving the two contentious players off its final roster, while Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry dismissed the row as "ridiculous" and urged both sides simply to "play football." Elko compared LSU's climbdown to a son testing boundaries until his father intervened, framing the episode as "a little bit of parenting." LSU and Texas A&M are due to meet on 26 September in Baton Rouge, with neither team fielding former pro players.