Judge William Jorden sided with the SEC on the first major issue in the eligibility hearing Thursday morning, a ruling that immediately narrowed the scope of the lawsuit and the athletes still pressing claims against the conference.
The case involves the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference and centers on whether certain athletes, including former professional players, should be allowed to return to college athletics for a fifth season. Before Thursday, 43 athletes were challenging college eligibility rules in the lawsuit, but the judge agreed with the SEC that the lawsuit amounted to improper cumulation.
That matters for LSU because the hearing has included athletes with ties to the school, including Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The ruling does not end the broader case, but it does shape which athletes can keep pursuing claims against the SEC while the hearing continues.
Jason Williams summed up the SEC’s argument with a blunt comparison: “Judge, I think if someone slipped and fell in Walmart, you couldn’t bring a suit against Costco.” Jorden’s ruling on the first major issue went the conference’s way, and the hearing then moved on to arguments about a fifth season of college eligibility.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was the first witness on Thursday and remained on the stand as of noon, underscoring how significant the day’s testimony could become for the rest of the case. For LSU, the immediate takeaway is simple: the legal path remains active, but the judge’s first ruling made it harder for every plaintiff to move forward in the same way.
The hearing is still working through the question of eligibility, and the LSU angle remains tied to how the case could affect players with school connections. That includes the ongoing attention around Zxavian Harris, whose move to LSU after an NFL stint added another twist to the larger storyline.
