The two former NFL players who returned to college to join the LSU program were not added to the Tigers’ roster ahead of the Saturday season opener against visiting Clemson.
Tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris will miss the Saturday contest but still could be added to the roster at a later date if they remain enrolled in school. LSU put only 103 players on the roster, and the limit is 105.
Louisiana district court judge William Jorden issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday that cleared the way for Wright and Harris to play for the Tigers even though both were in NFL training camps this summer.
Wright and Harris were 42 athletes across multiple sports who were covered by the injunction, which came in the wake of the NCAA’s pivot to a new 5-for-5 eligibility system. The judge’s ruling temporarily prevents the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA from enforcing rules that would keep the athletes from playing college sports in the new school year.
Wright signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in the offseason, then was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns, who subsequently waived him last week. Harris signed an undrafted free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints before they waived him in early August.
Both Harris and Wright played for new LSU coach Lane Kiffin last season at Ole Miss
The SEC and the NCAA have vehemently opposed the return of athletes from the pro ranks to college programs, including a federal lawsuit filed by the SEC against Kiffin and a number of LSU administrators on Thursday in Alabama in an attempt to keep such players off college rosters.
On Friday, Clemson’s general counsel sent an email to LSU’s general counsel, stating that using Harris or Wright may break “contractual obligations between the two parties” for the Saturday game, Yahoo Sports reported.
The SEC passed a rule last week that permitted commissioner Greg Sankey to punish any school that added players who signed NFL contracts to its roster. A half-season suspension of the head coach and a fine of half of the school’s football athletic budget were the prescribed penalties.
The conference approved the measure regarding the penalties by a 15-0 count, with LSU abstaining.