Clemson Makes Unexpected Move Ahead of LSU College Football Week 1 Clash

Clemson just threw a new wrinkle into the controversy around NFL players returning to college football just one day before it’s set to face LSU on the same field.

Officials from the school have informed their counterparts at LSU that any involvement of former pro football players on the field in Saturday’s game may technically breach the contract the two programs have to play each other, according to Yahoo Sports.

Most notably, Clemson’s email says that the eligibility issues it feels may violate their contractual obligations to each other are “not relieved by the ongoing disputes.”

So What About the Game?

Clemson Makes Unexpected Move Ahead of LSU College Football Week 1 Clash — LSU Football on X

Despite that clear disagreement, Clemson is not seeking any financial damages from LSU and the game itself will go ahead as scheduled for Saturday night in Baton Rouge.

Crucially, Clemson is not considering any legal action against LSU, per the report.

The move comes after a Louisiana court ruled that multiple athletes are eligible to play college football again despite having spent a brief time in the NFL this preseason, although LSU has not yet openly confirmed whether it will play such prospects in Week 1.

An Historic Decision Looms

LSU, and all other SEC football programs, have until the clock strikes midnight Eastern time on Saturday morning to finalize their rosters, and the conference will want a formal decision on whether or not Lane Kiffin and his staff will really add those former pros to the Tigers’ official roster.

Just days before the season, Kiffin found himself on the SEC’s hit list as a result of the NFL-to-College dispute, as the conference named him and other LSU brass in a federal lawsuit arguing that their attempt to recruit ex-pros violates the league’s rights after it established a rule preventing them from doing just that.

Dabo Weighs In on the Controversy

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney wasted no time criticizing the idea of former NFL prospects suiting up for college football teams, itself the result of a judge ruling in those players’ favor with a temporary restraining order against the NCAA.

“It’s kind of embarrassing. Honestly, it’s embarrassing that’s where we are. I don’t blame the kids, but people trying to take advantage of the system. It’s embarrassing, but we’ve been here for a while,” he said.

All the Power Four conferences swiftly introduced rules forbidding their members from signing former pros to their rosters, but a judge intervened in the SEC’s case, saying that players didn’t have to follow that conference’s rule.

LSU will host Clemson in Baton Rouge at 6:30 p.m. local time. We’ll see who is on, and not on, the field for Lane Kiffin’s first Tiger team.

(Yahoo)

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