SEC Administrators Sound Off On LSU In New ESPN Report: "Who Is In Charge There?"

The ongoing feud between LSU and the SEC appears to have cooled down for now, but a new report from ESPN's Dan Wetzel suggests there could be lingering tension between the Tigers and the rest of the conference.

Wetzel spoke with numerous sources around the SEC who described a growing rift between LSU and the league that goes beyond the recent battle over former professional players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris.

According to the report, some SEC administrators believe Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has taken an unusually active role in LSU athletics and question who is ultimately calling the shots in Baton Rouge.

"Who is in charge there?" one SEC administrator told ESPN. "And how do you ever trust them?"

Another SEC administrator was even more critical.

"It's impossible to deal with LSU right now," the administrator said. "They are unserious."

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Some in the SEC believe the Tigers' athletic department is being led, at least ideologically, not by school president Wade Rousse or athletic director Verge Ausberry but rather Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.

Speaking with numerous sources across the SEC, the chief concern is that the collegiality and common values of veteran campus leaders are not shared by politicians who can get more benefit out of conflict than compromise.

LSU is seen -- even as the Tigers argue they've done nothing wrong -- as a program that is forever pushing the envelope, especially under Kiffin and men's basketball coach Will Wade. Rather than have an administration that reins them in, they have state politicians egging them on.

"Who is in charge there?" one SEC administrator told ESPN. "And how do you ever trust them?"

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Wetzel also acknowledged some of the hypocrisy in the SEC:

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There is no question hypocrisy is everywhere, and the rocks being chucked at the Tigers are coming from campuses full of glass houses.

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LSU finalized its 105-man roster this week without Wright and Harris, essentially ending the immediate dispute that had escalated to the point where the SEC sought the authority to potentially terminate LSU's conference membership.

But according to Wetzel's report, the larger divide between LSU and other SEC schools may not be going away anytime soon.