Illuminator, news partners sue LSU for records of payments to college athletes

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Louisiana Illuminator reporter Piper Hutchinson, joined by WAFB-TV investigative reporter Chris Nakamoto and Tiger Rag Executive Editor Todd Horne, is suing LSU to obtain records for how it spends public money to pay student-athletes.

Attorney Scott Sternberg, who is representing the journalists, filed the lawsuit Thursday with the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge. It argues the records should be made public because the revenue LSU spends is public money. The journalists requested the spending records from LSU under the state’s public records law and were denied.

“The expenditure of public funds is what government transparency laws are all, at their bedrock, fundamentally about,” Sternberg said. “Asking for records of how Louisiana government, including LSU, spends state dollars is usually not a question.”

“These news organizations have joined together to file suit because they believe the public’s right to know how our money is spent is sacred,” Sternberg added.

Following the landmark House v. NCAA settlement last June, athletics departments are allowed to pay college athletes directly. LSU can now spend a maximum of $20.5 million on its players under the new rules.

The university’s legal staff claims the records are exempt from public disclosure under federal student privacy law, a state law that exempts name, image and likeness (NIL) agreements and because disclosing the information would result in a competitive disadvantage for LSU.

“LSU has not been served with the lawsuit but believes the records are exempt from public disclosure for various reasons. Releasing this information puts LSU at a competitive disadvantage on the field and runs contrary to the privacy interest of our student athletes,” LSU spokeswoman Meg Sunstrom said.

LSU’s athletics department is primarily fueled with self-generated revenue, such as ticket sales and media rights, though it receives some taxpayer funding. All of this revenue is considered public money, and the spending of these dollars requires legislative approval.

The state has historically treated such spending as a subject to public scrutiny. The Louisiana Constitution protects the people’s right to examine public documents, with certain exceptions to the law.

“Petitioners seek records that concern LSU’s use of public dollars to make revenue-sharing payments to student athletes,” the lawsuit reads. “The public has a compelling interest in understanding how much public money is being expended and to whom.”

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The lawsuit is not seeking LSU’s records related to the NIL deals college athletes enter into with private companies, which are exempt from disclosure under the state’s public records law. The journalists only want access to records related to how public money is spent.

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