Though the SEC said it will comply with a Louisiana state judge's order that prohibits the league and commissioner Greg Sankey from punishing schools if they play a football player who returns to campus after signing a contract with an NFL team, the league said it plans to defend its legal rights in court Thursday.
The temporary restraining order prohibits the SEC from enforcing a new rule it adopted last week that threatens stiff penalties -- a half-season suspension for a coach, a fine that matches 50% of the sport's annual budget and revocation of league voting rights -- for any team that uses a player who previously signed a contract to play in the NFL, NBA or WNBA.
"The order entered against the SEC and commissioner Sankey is a temporary restraining order, not a final ruling on the merits," the SEC said in a statement Sunday. "The SEC and commissioner Sankey are prepared to contest the allegations in the plaintiffs' petition at Thursday morning's hearing and defend the SEC's rights as a voluntary association to fulfill its mission to its member institutions.
"In the meantime, the SEC and commissioner Sankey will continue to comply with the court's order. Following the hearing, the SEC will carefully review the court's decision and determine the appropriate next steps."
The league adopted the rule after tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris announced plans to join their former coach, Lane Kiffin, at LSU, after they were released by NFL teams.
Former LSU defensive end Jack Pyburn, who was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, also plans to return to the Tigers if he isn't claimed by another NFL team.
The players and their attorneys are attempting to force the NCAA and conferences to retroactively apply its five-year eligibility rule.
The NCAA changed its eligibility rules in June, moving to a system where athletes can now compete for all five seasons during a five-year time span.
The change created a group of outgoing seniors who were not eligible to play in 2026-27 based on the rules in place when they finished their college careers last season. The NCAA's Division I board of directors decided not to grant those players an extra season, saying it would unfairly take away opportunities from incoming freshmen.
Another athlete, star basketball player RJ Luis Jr., received a temporary injunction to play for LSU this season from a Louisiana judge despite having signed multiple NBA contracts.
The judge also signed a show-cause order that requires the SEC and NCAA to explain during Thursday's hearing why the new penalties associated with their pro athlete rules, which plaintiffs' attorneys described as "draconian," do not put them in contempt of court and in violation of the judge's previous ruling in the case.
ESPN's Pete Thamel and Dan Murphy contributed to this report.
