LSU Lawyers Seek to Block SEC’s Roster Ban on Luis

Lawyers for RJ Luis Jr. are asking a Louisiana judge to block the Southeastern Conference (SEC) from punishing LSU if Luis is added to the Tigers’ roster. The request was filed in East Baton Rouge Parish court, where Judge Ronald R. Johnson previously granted a preliminary injunction against the NCAA over Luis’s eligibility. This filing, submitted on Tuesday, highlights the ongoing legal battle between LSU and the SEC, with Luis’s attorneys emphasizing that the SEC’s policies are the primary barrier to his participation.

The SEC has accused LSU in a federal case of exhibiting an “ongoing defiance of the conference’s professionalism rules” by trying to add Luis to its roster. The conference forbids teams from adding players with significant professional experience. In September, the conference announced updated enforcement provisions to that rule, stating that the commissioner had the power to suspend coaches, fine universities up to half of a sport’s budget and restrict a member university’s voting privileges on conference matters. These provisions, announced in September, show the SEC’s commitment to maintaining strict standards of competitive integrity among its member institutions.

SEC’s Legal Battle and LSU’s Compliance

Under pressure from fellow SEC members, LSU opted not to add two football players, Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who had briefly joined NFL clubs before returning to college. During Week 1 of the season, they were granted a preliminary injunction against the NCAA and SEC by another state judge in Baton Rouge. This injunction was a significant development, as it temporarily allowed Wright and Harris to play, despite the SEC’s objections.

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That case led the SEC to file a federal case alleging that LSU, by attempting to circumvent SEC rules, was violating the league’s First Amendment right to freedom of association. The conference argued that it has the right to enforce rules governing competition among its members, who voluntarily joined the league. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has mocked the SEC for taking that position, calling its federal case “garbage.” She has filed briefs supporting LSU and urging dismissal of the case, in which she has since been named as a defendant.

Luis’s Background and Eligibility Dispute

Luis, the 2025 Big East Player of the Year with St. John’s, played three college seasons before declaring for the 2025 NBA draft. Though undrafted, he briefly signed with the Utah and Boston teams but never played in a game. LSU coach Will Wade, who returned to LSU as the men’s NCAA college basketball coach during an introductory news conference on March 30, 2026, in Baton Rouge, La., recruited Luis to return to college.

The NCAA objected to Luis’s eligibility, citing his failure to follow protocols for retaining eligibility after declaring for the draft. Luis’s attorneys, Elliot Abrams and Tony Clayton, argue that the SEC’s policy, not the NCAA’s, is now the primary obstacle to his playing. They do not represent LSU, and have asked the judge to also block LSU from following any SEC directives that would bar Luis from playing.