LSU coach Lane Kiffin just locked in his final 105-player roster, and two big names got left out in the cold. Former NFL free agents Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris missed the cut despite winning court clearance to play. Now, with their careers stuck in limbo, both players are actively considering taking the legal route to navigate this situation.
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Their attorney, Ryan Downton, confirmed the news right after LSU finalized its team. Speaking to reporters, Downton made it clear that both “players are reviewing legal options,” Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reports. They spent weeks training with LSU under the impression that the coaching staff had their back, making this sudden rejection a major legal blow.
A Louisiana judge gave LSU the green light to put both players on the field. But instead of standing by them, Lane Kiffin and the university administration backed off at the last moment. They surrendered to pressure, leaving the two athletes without a team or a backup plan.
Instead of saving those final two spots for the former pros, LSU went ahead and gave them to defensive end Gabriel Reliford and cornerback Aidan Anding. By hitting that strict 105-player limit, LSU locked its roster and permanently shut the door on both free agents for the entire season.
LSU’s sudden change of heart comes down to its cold war with the Southeastern Conference. The SEC was absolutely furious about the idea of players with professional league ties stepping back onto college fields, arguing it ruined the “bright line” separating college and pro sports.
The conference went nuclear, filing a federal lawsuit in Alabama against LSU, Kiffin, and school officials. They even accused LSU of a “lack of institutional control” and scheduled an emergency meeting to vote on whether to completely expel LSU as an SEC member institution.
Faced with the literal death penalty of being kicked out of their own conference, LSU clearly blinked first. But while the school successfully saved its skin and pacified the SEC, it left Wright and Harris totally stranded.
Both athletes had fully committed to the Tigers under the impression that the program was ready to fight for them. They spent weeks practicing with the team, turning down other career opportunities, and waiting on pins and needles, only to watch the university back down and fill their spots with raw freshmen.
As it turns out, local media saw this train wreck coming from a mile away. Popular Baton Rouge radio host Matt Moscona had already called it perfectly on his podcast, tracking the exact legal chess match that went down. Moscona warned his listeners ahead of time that leaving these guys out would launch a whole new battleground in civil court.
“Number one is, the players could sue for damages. If a player has a ruling from a judge that says they are eligible, and you do not roster that player, then they could sue in civil court for damages,” Moscona explained.
He didn’t mince words about how accurate his legal predictions had been so far, either.
“And just like I told you, that the SEC was going to be enjoined in the lawsuit, and just like I told you that the SEC was going to sue LSU in federal court,” Moscona reminded his audience, proving he had his finger right on the pulse of the drama. “I’m telling you again that if LSU doesn’t roster those players, the plaintiffs’ attorneys are going to sue for damages to collect monetary damages for their client”
This is exactly why the lawyers are ready to start swinging again. The core of the players’ upcoming legal argument is centered on promissory estoppel, essentially asking if LSU made a concrete promise, if the athletes uprooted their lives relying on that promise, and if the school broke its word.
Not only that, but their legal team will also apparently go after the SEC and the NCAA for creating the restrictive eligibility rules in the first place and using aggressive legal threats to force LSU’s hand.
To make matters worse for LSU, the original Louisiana judge had included the school in his injunction, explicitly banning it from taking actions that would negatively impact the players.
Attorney Ryan Downton had previously threatened to hold LSU in contempt of court if they refused to roster the guys, meaning the school could face severe legal penalties.
Now, as LSU prepares to take the field this weekend against Louisiana Tech at home, Lane Kiffin has a full 105-man roster on the field. But off the field, the school is facing an uncomfortable fight with its own conference and a serious lawsuit from two former NFL prospects who feel betrayed.