In an era of rampant lawlessness, the SEC singled out LSU: Why the Tigers are drawing the league's wrath

As the SEC entrenched itself deeper in a battle with LSU on Tuesday by seeking the legal authority to potentially expel the Tigers from the conference, you could almost hear the cries emanating from the bayou.

"Why us?"

That's what many LSU fans want to know, as the SEC has chosen to wage war against the Tigers in a way it never has against a member institution before.

The answer is that it's not just about stopping LSU from pushing the boundaries now over a couple of former quasi-professionals who don't look all that much different than a litany of other former Class of 2022 athletes who will be playing college sports this year. 

It's about the SEC's ability to police its membership after LSU sought to break a recently implemented conference rule that bans players who have signed NFL, NBA or WNBA contracts.

That will be of little solace to LSU fans who feel singled out. But the Tigers are basically pawns in a big-picture battle.

Although it lacks the greater context of a historic moment in college sports, the whataboutism of LSU's frustration is understandable.

SEC seeking legal authority to expel LSU in updated federal court filing

David Cobb

Coaches and programs around college sports -- and others within the SEC -- have been pushing the boundaries on eligibility and compensation rules for generations. In the NIL and mass-transfer portal era, it has often felt like whoever can create or capitalize on a new loophole the fastest is best positioned for success.

That's all LSU was trying to do.

Where was the SEC's fervor to self-police member schools back when Tennessee's attorney general sued the NCAA over its NIL rules? What about the multitude of other schools in both football and basketball that are rostering fifth-year players from the Class of 2022 who needed lawyers to get them eligible?

The SEC isn't threatening those schools with expulsion.

Go back in time to the pre-NIL era, and the list of recruiting scandals involving SEC member institutions starts to read like a mafia rap sheet. Where were the league's threats of expulsion and other stiff penalties then?

The answer is simple. All that used to mostly be the NCAA's job. 

Now that the NCAA is powerless to enforce its own rules, the SEC is attempting to stand in the gap in a way that it has never needed to before.

It should also be noted that the league has put its foot down over a similar issue within the past year.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey signed an affidavit in February asking a judge to deny Alabama basketball player Charles Bediako eligibility after Bediako joined the Crimson Tide. Bediako had previously signed an NBA two-way contract. Bediako and the Crimson Tide eventually lost in court and dropped the issue.

Perhaps some thought the concept of "self-governance" would someday manifest as a press release from league commissioner Greg Sankey announcing that the SEC is splitting from the rest of college sports to play exclusively in its own bubble.

Maybe if the Protect College Sports Act fails to pass or gets doctored in ways the league doesn't like, that could still be on the table.

But self-governance doesn't have to mean breaking away from any association with the rest of college sports.

At least for now, it means finding the legal authority to create a level playing field within conference borders.

That's what the SEC's federal lawsuit is all about. It's also why the conference didn't immediately halt its legal fight when LSU waved the white flag on Tuesday night by signaling that it won't attempt to add Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to its roster this season.

There is more at play here. 

This is also about the next time any of the other 15 SEC schools tries to break the rules. LSU might be among the 15 in opposition the next time.

If this works and the SEC can establish a federal-level judicial precedent allowing it to police itself, the conference rulebook might need to be expanded.

The conference can't fall into a cycle of voting 15-0 or 15-1 to create a new rule whenever a member attempts to push the boundaries of the ever-fluctuating eligibility norms.

But in this case, LSU just happened to give the league exactly what it needed to conduct a thorough assessment of its own power. Ultimately, the results of that assessment will be determined in the coming days and weeks in a federal courtroom in Alabama.

The league's membership voted 15-0 (LSU abstained) to ban former NFL, NBA and WNBA players from playing in the SEC. Within that ban, there were some gray areas. What if a player only participated in an NFL mini-camp and didn't sign an actual contract? What if they only played in the NBA Summer League and didn't sign an actual contract?

Ultimately, the line has been drawn in the SEC -- as in other conferences -- at the contract level. If you signed a contract to play in one of the aforementioned leagues, the SEC says you are not eligible.

Fail to make the final NFL or NBA roster? Doesn't matter. Even if you've never appeared in a regular-season game in one of those leagues, if you signed a contract, the SEC's rule says you can't play in the league.

That's where the line was drawn. LSU tried to operate on the other side of that line. Now, the SEC will learn whether it has the power to keep the Tigers and others from crossing similar lines in the future.