BATON ROUGE, United States: The SEC LSU lawsuit escalated Tuesday as the conference accused university leaders of failing to exercise meaningful control over coach Lane Kiffin and the football program.
In an amended federal complaint, the Southeastern Conference cited LSU President Wade Rousse and Athletic Director Verge Ausberry while challenging the school’s handling of conference roster rules.
The dispute centres on LSU’s effort to bring former professional players back into college football after they had participated in NFL training camps.
The SEC argues that its member universities voluntarily compete under agreed governance rules and must follow them. In a statement released with the complaint, the conference asserted its right to enforce those standards.
The legal fight has also raised the possibility of severe sanctions against LSU, including termination of its SEC membership.
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The case comes as SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has argued for greater conference self-governance amid repeated legal challenges to college sports regulations.
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The dispute also touches the wider debate over whether major conferences can enforce roster and spending rules without relying on the NCAA or federal legislation.
