The SEC didn't just close the door on former NFL and NBA players this week. Now it's telling everyone exactly what it'll cost to try and prop that door back open.
Per CBS Sports, the league has finalized the penalties for any program that adds a former pro to its roster in violation of the new rule, and they carry real weight. Other outlets, including On3 are reporting the same.
Any head coach who does it is looking at a half-season suspension. The offending school loses its SEC voting privileges on conference business matters. And the fine is the real eye-opener: 50 percent of that sport's annual operating budget. On top of all that, the league is keeping the right to have Greg Sankey and/or the SEC presidents and chancellors hand down additional penalties if they see fit.
If you were wondering whether the conference was serious about this, that fine answers it.
This is the back half of a story we've been on all week. Late last week we shared how a pair of court rulings cracked the door open in the first place. A Colorado judge granted the 2022 class a fifth year of eligibility on July 31 in the Wisne v. NCAA case, and an August 20 temporary restraining order out of Louisiana cleared the way for players with existing NFL contracts to come back. LSU didn't wait around, moving to sign former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae'Quan Wright and former Saints defensive tackle Xzavian Harris once they hit the portal on August 21.
The Big Ten moved first to shut it down, passing its own ban with a half-season coach suspension and a budget fine of its own. The SEC followed Tuesday, passing its emergency rule by a 16-0 vote. When the conference initially announced it, Sankey was simply handed broad discretion to punish violators. Now we have a better idea of what that discretion looks like in practice.
The rule itself covers any athlete who declared for the NFL, NBA or WNBA draft without withdrawing, signed a pro contract, or appeared on a pro roster. Worth noting for coaches reading the fine print: a tryout alone doesn't appear to trigger it. Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson, who worked out for NFL teams but never signed or made a roster, looks to still be eligible.
Lane Kiffin, whose LSU program is at the center of all this and plans to challenge the rule, has been vocal about the inconsistency. "You can't decide, 'Hey, I like that injunction, I don't like that one,'" the LSU coach said.
He's not going to be the last coach to test where the lines are. The ACC, Big 12, Sun Belt and Notre Dame are all reportedly working toward rules of their own.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.