The SEC leadership is laying down the law, and LSU head coach Lane Kiffin is right in the crosshairs. SEC Executive Committee President and Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman has made it crystal clear that the conference will not tolerate teams bringing in players cut from NFL rosters. While Kiffin is busy stacking his LSU roster with former pro talent, the league is drawing a line in the sand, setting up an explosive showdown between conference authority and a rogue coach.

Plowman isn’t backing down, even though a Texas court gave these players a temporary green light to play. For her, protecting the league’s rulebook matters more than playing nice in court. She warned that letting former NFL players step back onto a college field opens a door to pure anarchy that the SEC simply will not allow.

“We have a responsibility to try and lead the best we can in this time of chaos,” Plowman said per ESPN. “Our group is united on this. This is not a rule we will budge on. Enough is enough.”

The consequences LSU faces are far from a minor slap on the wrist. Under the newly approved guidelines, Commissioner Sankey holds total authority to suspend a head coach for half a season, slice a football program’s budget in half, or take away its voting power in conference matters. As Plowman noted, the committee gave Sankey the full toolkit of penalties, and he has their complete backing to use them.

Jere Morehead, who previously donned the roles of SEC President and Chairman of the SEC Executive Committee, said the SEC is against the temporary injunction and it’s a standard they’ve agreed upon. 

“To me, it’s a very simple rule, and we set our rules, and we expect our members to follow our rules,” Morehead added. 

LSU has reportedly remained absent from talks with the conference. While the school has kept any plausible developments under wraps, this is a statement in itself.

“I have not been in conversations with anyone from LSU since we left the meeting,” Plowman said, referring to the meetings in Birmingham last week. “They were there. They were in the room when the vote was taken on the penalties. So they know.”

Plowman stated that the SEC and Sankey have the support of presidents and chancellors in punishing those who violate any rules. In the Birmingham meeting, the SEC approved strong penalties for violating the NFL-to-college rule. A coach can be suspended for half a season; they could lose half of the sport’s annual budget. Most importantly, Sankey can revoke a coach’s voting rights. 

“He has the full spectrum of penalties that he can use,” Plowman said. “He needs to feel he has our authority to use those.”

But Kiffin has already made his move. The No.11 Tigers are preparing for their showdown against Clemson, one of the biggest college football faceoffs in the coming weeks, with an ex-NFL player taking practice snaps.

On August 21, Dae’Quan Wright, who signed with the Cleveland Browns, joined Kiffin on the field for reps. His decision to leave the pro league left Todd Monken, the Browns’ head coach, frustrated. Other players are expected to join him. 

Over 40 players across sports received a temporary restraining order from a Louisiana judge. This order grants them eligibility for five college football seasons under the rule change. It, however, does not apply to the class of 2020. It also prohibited the NCAA from enforcing its rules on eligibility for pro athletes. The case is still ongoing. For Kiffin, adding eligible talent is good roster building. 

Lane Kiffin and LSU want to seize opportunities that present themselves

Lane Kiffin has defended his decision as player-focused. If anything, he believes his decision is for the greater good of the program.

“I feel like my decisions should always be made in the best interest of the players that sit in this team room and not for my reputation, and how my decisions play in national media and other fan bases. I’ve never been that way, and that could be wrong,” he said, per ABC News. 

He revealed that he met with LSU leaders over the matter of bringing NFL rookies back to college to LSU. The leadership wants to win, and if they help, so be it, re reveled. 

“This is how it works at the next level,” Kiffin added. “This is how the real world works.”

In the tiff between LSU and the SEC, the upcoming court hearing is the only determining factor in who wins.