RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The SEC faces its first challenge since voting to penalize coaches and schools that play former professional athletes. On Thursday, a Texas judge granted a collection of former college athletes temporary restraining orders against the NCAA, the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey.
Earlier this week, the SEC unanimously voted to ban professional athletes from returning to college, and 15 of the 16 institutions voted to implement strict penalties on teams that defy that ban. LSU was the only school that abstained from the second vote.
Three athletes included in the latest Texas ruling -- receiver Jordan Hudson (Cowboys), linebacker Wesley Bissainthe (Chiefs) and receiver Omari Evans (Chiefs) -- are currently listed on NFL rosters.
Double-digit football players were granted TROs today against the NCAA as well as the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey that have them currently eligible to play this season and enter the transfer portal, per @TexasTrialGroup . Among them is Cowboys receiver Jordan Hudson. pic.twitter.com/vVQpwnW0MW
This Texas lawsuit is the first to challenge the NCAA and SEC, but it won't be the last. According to Yahoo Sports , the Louisiana eligibility lawsuit has also been amended to include the SEC and Sankey. That suit includes three former Ole Miss players. Two of whom -- tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive tackle Xzavian Harris -- have already committed to LSU.
There was already some obvious tension between LSU and the SEC, and these lawsuits will only intensified it.
The SEC's penalty structure for playing former professional athletes, which was approved on Wednesday, includes a ban on the head coach for 50% of the season and a financial penalty equal to 50% of the sport's operation budget. Now that the temporary restraining order has been granted, the conference's ability to enforce it comes into question.
The Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 have also voted to impose tough penalties on teams that play former professional athletes, but to this point, the conferences haven't faced a legal challenge to its new policy.
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