LSU has decided against adding former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to their roster for Saturday’s opening game against Clemson.
It comes after a Louisiana judge issued a preliminary injunction against the NCAA in a high-profile eligibility case on Thursday that paved the way for their potential inclusion in Lane Kiffin’s roster.
East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden‘s decision followed a nearly nine-hour hearing in a courtroom near the LSU campus in which athlete after athlete took the stand to explain why they should be allowed to return to play college sports after turning pro.
Former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Harris and former Cleveland Browns tight end Wright sat next to each other in the gallery as the hearing began and both took the stand to say they would have not tried to turn pro had they known they might get another year in college.
Harris and Wright said they each earned about $1 million in college. Harris said he was paid just $190 in travel expenses by the Saints and spent all of his time with the club rehabbing a foot injury.
Wright said he was paid a $25,000 signing bonus by Philadelphia before his brief time with the Browns and would gladly pay that back for the chance to play for LSU.
LSU has not added former NFL stars Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to their roster
Zxavian Harris suited up for the New Orleans Saints in NFL preseason but is heading to LSU
Dae’Quan Wright was with the Cleveland Browns in preseason before clearing waivers
Under rules passed last week that the Louisiana court shot down, the SEC could have suspended Kiffin, fined LSU half its football budget and more if it put Wright and Harris on the roster.
The case stems from a new NCAA rule that granted five seasons of eligibility for players who started college in 2023. Wright, Harris and dozens of others across the country who started in 2022 have filed lawsuits saying they also deserve that fifth year.
Embedded within that argument is whether players among that Class of ’22 who tried out for NFL, NBA or WNBA teams should be able to come back to college and play.
“The SEC´s presidents and chancellors unanimously adopted a clear and reasonable standard: Member universities should not place former professional athletes on their rosters,” the conference said in a statement after Thursday night’s ruling.
In its own statement Friday, LSU said it was reviewing the court’s order and would “continue to work constructively with the SEC and NCAA as this matter moves forward.”
“College football does not deserve this kind of ambiguity in eligibility standards,” the statement said, while also offering a shoutout to a bill in the Senate that could clear up this kind of confusion.
