College football is facing yet another potential courtroom-led crisis.
After several individual lawsuits and a blanket federal court ruling gave fifth years of eligibility to former college football players who participated in NFL minicamps, LSU found itself at the center of controversy once more under Lane Kiffin as it attempts to sign multiple former players
who signed NFL contracts but were waived from training camps.Now, we know that Kiffin was reportedly at the center of the lawsuits that led to former NFL players receiving injunctions. CBS Sports' Chris Hummer and John Talty reported Tuesday that Kiffin instigated eligibility lawsuits from several players on NFL rosters.
"Kiffin and the Tigers reached out to multiple players on NFL rosters
or their representation in an effort to get them to bring a lawsuit against the NCAA and return to school, per sources," they wrote. "This includes some of the players who ended up in the Louisiana lawsuit, which sources have pointed out wasn't tried in Baton Rouge by accident."
LSU has landed commitments from three players who were cut from the NFL: Ole Miss tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, as well as Notre Dame edge rusher Junior Tuihalamaka.
Whether these players will ultimately be able to matriculate at LSU remains to be seen. SEC rules bar programs from adding intraconference transfers outside of the January transfer portal window, which would theoretically prevent Wright and Harris from joining the Tigers. Tuihalamaka's future is also in flux after the SEC followed the Big Ten's lead in passing a rule that, among other things, prevents players who signed professional contracts from joining league programs.
This challenge to SEC bylaws isn't the only potential legal implication here. As Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio points out, NFL franchises could argue that Kiffin interfered in contractual relationships with their employees.
The legal implications of this saga are not quite clear, and while LSU isn't the only program attempting to take advantage of these injunctions, it seems it may have been the driving force behind the current crisis.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Lane Kiffin, LSU reportedly instigated NFL player eligibility lawsuits
