Louisiana Senator threatens SEC over vote to expel LSU from conference... despite Tigers' ex-NFL player U-turn

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy has blasted the SEC after it threatened to take the extraordinary step of kicking LSU out of the league over the school's attempts to play ex-NFL stars. 

SEC leaders and commissioner Greg Sankey are set to meet Thursday to discuss the possibility of expelling LSU over Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin’s effort to add former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to the roster.

Both Wright and Harris played for Kiffin at Ole Miss last season before signing with NFL teams as undrafted free agents, only to enroll at LSU this summer in an unprecedented attempt to return to college football. 

But as first reported by ESPN on Tuesday night, LSU has added two other players, cornerback Aidan Anding and defensive end Gabriel Reliford, thereby ending any chance Wright or Harris had of playing for the Tigers in 2026.

The Daily Mail has sought confirmation from LSU spokespeople. Additionally, The Daily Mail has reached out to SEC spokespeople for comment. 

While there is no confirmation the SEC will stand down, Kennedy blasted the conference's threats in an interview on Tuesday night. 

'That's bone deep down to the marrow stupid,' the 74-year-old said.

'I've got rocks in my driveway that are smarter than that, they're not going to throw LSU out of the SEC.

'I and a lot of other people in the United States Congress will be on them like a hobo on a ham sandwich. LSU hasn't done anything wrong. It's called a court of law. God made courts to decide disputes.

'Now, whether you agree with what else you did or disagree, we did the right thing by going to court. We didn't just do stuff. We went to court and we're going to abide by the court decision.'

The Tigers officially had only 103 players on their 105-man roster for their Week 1 blowout win over visiting Clemson as Kiffin opted to hold off on the decision to add Wright or Harris amid a legal battle with SEC rivals.

The SEC filed an amendment to the federal lawsuit it filed against the school in Alabama last Thursday and has 'scheduled a meeting on Thursday to decide whether to terminate LSU as an SEC member institution.'

SEC rules state a vote of at least two-thirds of all presidents would be required to terminate a school's membership.

'The SEC 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 said in a statement on Tuesday.

'A commitment to those rules, and to the core principles of the Southeastern Conference, is an essential element of SEC membership.

'Today's filing is necessary to defend that right and preserve the Conference's ability to govern competition among its members.'

Kiffin's halftime interview during LSU's 51-10 win over Clemson on Saturday night is also mentioned in the amended complaint.

'Imagine if we had pro players,' Kiffin told ABC.

The amended complaint alleged that Kiffin's comments 'stand in sharp contrast to the silence by the President and Athletic Director of LSU' and 'confirm the lack of institutional control over the athletics program at LSU that is required by Article 6 of the SEC Constitution and by the remaining provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws.'

A Louisiana judge last week issued a preliminary injunction against the NCAA that paved the way for LSU to include former NFL players on its roster.

East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden issued his ruling the night before LSU was due to submit its 105-man roster to the SEC. They declined to name Harris, a former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman, and Wright, a former Cleveland Browns tight end, on the initial roster.