Report: SEC To Comply With Court Orders Allowing Former NFL Players To Return To College

The SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey are expected to comply with court orders allowing certain players with professional experience to return to college athletics, according to attorney Darren Heitner.

The development is significant for LSU, which has been at the center of the eligibility debate after adding former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. A Louisiana judge recently amended a temporary restraining order to include the SEC and Sankey, preventing the conference from punishing schools for rostering players covered by the order.

The SEC recently adopted a policy prohibiting players who signed professional contracts or appeared on professional rosters from returning to the conference. Schools that violate the policy could face major fines, while head coaches could be suspended for 50 percent of their team's games.

Heitner clarified that the court order does not require schools to roster any player. However, schools that choose to do so appear to be protected from SEC punishment when the player is a named plaintiff covered by the applicable court order.

A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m. in Baton Rouge, where Judge William Jorden will consider whether to extend the protections currently provided by the temporary restraining order. The hearing comes just two days before LSU's season opener against Clemson.

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