Lawyers request Louisiana judge block SEC from punishing LSU if RJ Luis is added to roster
By Ethan Stone
Published:
The RJ Luis Jr. saga isn’t over after all.
According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Borzello on Wednesday, Luis’ lawyers asked a Louisiana judge to prohibit the SEC from punishing LSU if Luis is added to the Tigers’ 2026-27 roster. The request was filed on Tuesday in state district court in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Luis was ruled ineligible to play for LSU in late August, based on the SEC’s rule against adding former professional players to collegiate rosters. As Borzello’s report points out, the SEC updated its guidelines in September, giving Commissioner Greg Sankey the suspend coaches and fine universities for insubordination against this rule.
Luis played college basketball from 2023-2025, starting his career at UMass before joining St. John’s in 2024. He was a star with the Red Storm, named the 2025 Big East Player of the Year. Following that season, Luis declared for the NBA Draft but went undrafted, eventually signing brief contracts with the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz. These contracts are what make him ineligible to play under SEC rules. Additionally, Luis elected to leave college for the NBA and did not follow proper protocol to retain eligibility by withdrawing from the draft.
LSU’s season begins on Nov. 3 against New Orleans.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
