Louisiana governor Jeff Landry says SEC is trying to ‘villainize LSU’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry continues to take aim at the SEC, after the conference threatened to expel LSU amid its initial plans to pursue former professional players.
After Dae’quan Wright and Zxavian Harris ultimately weren’t added to the Tigers’ roster, matters between the two sides have cooled off. The SEC‘s lawsuit against LSU, filed in an Alabama court, remains in place — at least for now.
Landry feels that LSU shouldn’t be at fault, given that Wright and Harris joined a lawsuit in Louisiana that led to an injunction pausing the NCAA and SEC’s plans to punish schools that use professional players.
“It’s actually in the SEC’s hands right now,” Landry said on Thursday. “Remember, LSU didn’t create the litigation in Louisiana. LSU did not create the litigation in Alabama. The SEC did. The players who wanted to play created the litigation in Louisiana. Our university has been stuck in the middle of this, and yet the SEC tries to villainize LSU.”
The SEC noted that it wouldn’t punish LSU after a meeting with the presidents and chancellors of the conference’s members. It added in a statement that “discussions will continue” over “an appropriate resolution” between LSU and the SEC.
For now, though, Landry continues to make clear his frustration with the SEC.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
