LSU Eyes Ex-NFL Players After Eligibility Ruling

A Louisiana state court has temporarily barred the NCAA from stripping eligibility from former NFL players who want to return to college football, opening a path for LSU to add several ex-pros to its roster.

The dispute follows an NCAA rule change that now allows some athletes a fifth season of college eligibility. A group of players who had already left school for the NFL argue they should get that extra season too, even though they signed professional contracts under rules that, at the time, treated their college careers as over.

Two cases stand out. Zavier Harris, a former defensive lineman with the Saints, collected just $190 in travel expenses from New Orleans and spent his time there rehabbing an injury. Dequan Wright, a tight end who moved between the Eagles and the Browns, took a $25,000 signing bonus from Philadelphia and says he is willing to give it back for the chance to play for LSU.

The Saints play home games at the Caesars Superdome, which holds 74,295. The Browns' Huntington Bank Field holds 67,500.

The NCAA and the Southeastern Conference oppose the players' return. SEC leadership has said the line between college and professional sport needs to hold, and has already warned member schools of heavy fines and coaching disqualifications over the use of such players. The conference has also filed a separate suit against LSU in federal court.

The ruling is preliminary and does not guarantee any of the players a full season. The case continues. The NCAA says roughly 450 athletes nationwide are pursuing extra eligibility through the courts, and about 300 of them have already been granted temporary relief.