SEC Shows No Signs of Backing Down Amid LSU Expulsion Lawsuit

The conference cited RJ Luis Jr.’s practices with Will Wade’s basketball team as proof LSU still ignores league rules, with LSU’s reply due Oct. 20.

A detailed view of the SEC logo on a chain marker during a college football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Auburn Tigers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Southeastern Conference’s federal lawsuit against LSU isn’t winding down, as the league told a judge Tuesday that the school’s defiance of its rules is ongoing and that its fight to protect a possible expulsion vote is still live.

In a filing opposing LSU’s motion to dismiss, the SEC argued the case goes beyond two football players, citing the “very real threat” that LSU would interfere with any attempt to terminate its membership in the conference.

What did the SEC argue in court?

Mississippi Rebels tight end Dae'Quan Wright (8) scores a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The conference opened its response by attacking LSU’s legal strategy: “Defendants seek to dismiss a lawsuit the Southeastern Conference did not file.”

LSU’s motion, filed Sept. 25 with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, argued the case was moot because former Ole Miss players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris never made the football roster of LSU coach Lane Kiffin and a Sept. 10 meeting of SEC presidents and chancellors went forward without interference.

The SEC said neither development ends the dispute. It framed the case around LSU’s “complete lack of institutional control” and its “ongoing defiance” of the conference’s Professionalism Rules. “That meeting never represented the outer boundary of the relief sought through this lawsuit,” the filing reads.

LSU’s motion arrived while lawyers for both sides were negotiating a settlement, and the SEC said at the time it was “deeply disappointed” and that its concerns remained unresolved.

RJ Luis enters LSU legal fight

St. John's Red Storm guard RJ Luis Jr. (12) dribbles during the second half of a second-round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Arkansas Razorbacks | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The SEC’s evidence that LSU “continues to flout” its rules came from the basketball court. The filing says LSU openly recruited RJ Luis Jr., let him practice with the men’s basketball team and “has refused to publicly and definitively state that he will not be included on LSU’s basketball roster.”

Luis, a former St. John’s star, signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz after going undrafted in 2025 and later spent time in the Boston Celtics organization. An East Baton Rouge Parish judge granted him a preliminary injunction against the NCAA on Aug. 24, and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has opposed his return to college basketball.

The SEC also quoted LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade’s own description of his roster approach: “We’re going to be unapologetic about it. This is who we are. This is what we’re doing. This is the path that we charted. We’re going to go down it, and that’s fine.”

Pulling basketball into a case that started over two football roster spots shows the SEC is building a broader record against LSU leadership, from Kiffin’s program to Wade’s rebuild.

What comes next for LSU?

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin looks on during warm-ups against the Kentucky Wildcats | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon hasn’t ruled on the motion to dismiss, and LSU has until Tuesday, Oct. 20, to file a reply. An LSU official had no comment on the SEC’s latest filing.

Under Section 3.1.5 of the SEC Constitution and Bylaws, a two-thirds vote of the league’s presidents and chancellors can terminate a member. The SEC took no action at its Sept. 10 meeting, and Tuesday’s filing doesn’t schedule a new vote. Instead, it asks the court to keep LSU President Wade Rousse, Murrill and the other defendants from blocking one if the league chooses to hold it.

LSU’s basketball roster is due in several weeks, so Luis’ status could force the next confrontation between the school and the conference before Axon rules.