09/04/26 11:38:00
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09/04 23:37 CDT LSU leaves former pros Wright, Harris off opening-day roster,
AP source says
LSU leaves former pros Wright, Harris off opening-day roster, AP source says
By EDDIE PELLS and BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writers
LSU did not place one-time pros Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris on its
roster in advance of its season opener, a person familiar with the situation
told The Associated Press on Friday night.
The move appears to avoid an immediate confrontation with the Southeastern
Conference, which had passed a rule forbidding former pros on rosters only to
see that rule put on hold by a court in Louisiana.
It means LSU will open its season against Clemson on Saturday night without
Wright and Harris on the roster, according to the person who spoke to AP. The
person did not want to be named because the school had not released the details
publicly.
Both players have said they are enrolled at LSU, which means they could be
eligible to be added to the roster later. Legal action is ongoing, with the SEC
awaiting word on a federal lawsuit it filed Thursday asking the court to force
LSU into following its rules banning pro athletes.
The roster decision marked the latest move in a bizarre, wide-ranging
disagreement over something most people used to agree on: that players who had
moved on to pro sports from college could not return to college.
Under the rules the SEC passed last week that were subsequently shut down by
the Louisiana court, the league could suspend Kiffin, fine LSU half its
football budget and more if it puts Wright and Harris on the roster.
The case stems from a new NCAA rule that granted five seasons of eligibility
for players who started college in 2023. Wright, Harris and dozens of others
across the country who started in 2022 have filed lawsuits saying they also
deserve a fifth year of eligibility.
Embedded within that argument is whether players among that class who tried out
for NFL, NBA or WNBA teams should be able to come back to college and play.
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