SEC could still consider punishing Lane Kiffin

The SEC could still look to punish LSU head coach Lane Kiffin in order to send a message after the school’s recent conflict with conference officials.

SEC officials anonymously told John Brice, Blake Toppmeyer, Cory Diaz, and Matt Hayes of USA Today that discipline for Kiffin and the LSU program is still on the table, even though the Tigers backed down in their efforts to add players to their roster that had previously signed NFL contracts. The conference still has concerns about LSU’s willingness to comply, and those worries extend to the basketball program as well as the football one.

“My biggest thing is, if you’re (LSU’s administration) how can you ever fix this? You’ve lost control and harmed your reputation,” one unidentified SEC administrator said. “Same for the president (Wade Rousse). I’ve talked to a couple of other ADs. I hope they’ll suspend Lane. If not, he won’t feel it and won’t care.”

LSU has been particularly audacious in its attempts to bring players back to the program who have signed NFL deals in the wake of a court ruling that would theoretically make such players eligible. The SEC and other conferences have fought against that ruling, and even threatened to expel LSU from the conference if the school did not back down.

Those concerns also extend to LSU’s basketball program under Will Wade, which has used many of the same tactics. That has garnered less controversy, in part because college basketball season is still roughly two months away.

SEC bylaws would allow the conference to take action against LSU for defying league rules, even if they were operating based on a court order. It remains to be seen if the conference actually tries to enforce those rules in this instance.