Tuscaloosa Federal Judge Assigned to SEC Lawsuit Against LSU

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- A federal judge in Tuscaloosa has been assigned to the high-profile lawsuit from the Southeastern Conference against one of its member institutions: the LSU Tigers. The SEC filed the lawsuit just after midnight on Thursday, September 3, in Alabama. The SEC is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.

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The SEC's lawsuit against LSU came just before yesterday's temporary injunction hearing in Baton Rouge, where former Ole Miss tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, among other former student-athletes, sued the NCAA and the SEC for a fifth year of eligibility. Wright and Harris exhausted their four years of eligibility before declaring for the NFL draft, but as class of 2022 recruits, they felt that they should have been included in the 5-for-5 eligibility rules that the NCAA implemented over the summer.

Baton Rouge judge William Jorden granted the injunction just after 8:00 last night, paving the way for both Wright and Harris to join the LSU roster. In a statement released last night after the ruling, the SEC said:

"We disagree with the court's decision. 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 and its member universities have the right to establish, through agreed-upon governance procedures, the rules under which they voluntarily compete and to expect those rules to be followed. The SEC will continue to defend this standard, the principle of fair competition, and the conference's authority to govern competition among its member universities."

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon of the Northern District of Alabama was assigned to the SEC's lawsuit against LSU, university officials, and head football coach Lane Kiffin, according to court documents. Judge Axon received both her Bachelor's and her Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.