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Louisiana Judge Rules Against NCAA in NFL Rookie Eligibility Case

5 sources · updated 2026-09-06
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What happened

On Thursday, East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden granted a preliminary injunction against the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference, blocking them from punishing universities that roster certain athletes with prior NFL or other professional experience. The order covers former Ole Miss players Dae'Quan Wright, a tight end who attended Eagles and Browns training camps, and Zxavian Harris, a defensive lineman who spent time with the Saints; both had sought to play for LSU under new coach Lane Kiffin. During the Baton Rouge hearing, the SEC filed a federal lawsuit in Alabama against LSU, athletic director Verge Ausberry, and Kiffin, alleging a coordinated effort to recruit professional athletes. LSU did not add Wright or Harris to its 103-player roster by Friday's deadline ahead of Saturday's season opener against Clemson, though they remain enrolled and could be added later. The dispute involves the NCAA's five-years-to-play-five-seasons eligibility rule and conference policies barring former NFL players.
Sourcing check · Fully on the record · 3 articles

2 of 2 articles cite a named source for the story.

What these terms mean and how they're counted
On the record · names a source 2 of 2
On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Judge William Jorden and Greg Sankey
Primary evidence · cites a document or data 2 of 2
Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: court ruling
Credits another outlet 0 of 2
The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
Unnamed sources 0 of 2
The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
Not counted 1
Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
BLINDSPOT. Only right-leaning outlets are covering this story — the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out

Unpacked

Left-leaning coverage has not reported this case. Right-leaning coverage says Judge William Jorden granted a preliminary injunction that stops the NCAA and SEC from punishing a school for rostering former NFL players. Former Ole Miss tight end Dae'Quan Wright is among those now free to be rostered this season. Readers who see only the silent side would miss both that court order and that the SEC filed a same-day federal suit in Alabama against LSU. Aftermath coverage of that ruling splits on whether LSU will actually play them: the players are cleared for Lane Kiffin's opener in the Daily Caller, and left off the Clemson roster in the New York Post. Does the Baton Rouge injunction bind every NCAA school, or only LSU?
Bottom line

If you follow only left-leaning news, you would not know a Louisiana judge has blocked the NCAA and SEC from punishing schools that roster former NFL players, as Fox News reported from Baton Rouge.

The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
  • Judge William Jorden granted a preliminary injunction barring the NCAA and SEC from punishing universities for rostering former NFL players legal rulingin Fox News, Daily Caller, New York Post · absent from left-leaning coverage
  • More than 40 athletes have sued to gain a fifth year of eligibility numberin New York Post · absent from left-leaning coverage
  • The SEC said member universities should not place former professional athletes on their rosters official statementin New York Post · absent from left-leaning coverage
  • The Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 have joined the SEC in seeking to ban former NFL players from college football contextin New York Post · absent from left-leaning coverage
  • Plaintiff attorneys questioned how the SEC can allow overseas professionals to play more than five seasons while barring these former NFL players contextin Fox News · absent from left-leaning coverage
The Right View
Fox News, the Daily Caller, the New York Post, and OutKick reported that Judge Jorden sided with the athletes after a lengthy hearing that included more than three hours of testimony from SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. They described the SEC's mid-hearing federal lawsuit as a dramatic escalation, quoted the conference's statement that member schools should not roster former professionals, and noted that the Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 have taken similar positions. Coverage emphasized Kiffin's prior coaching of the two players at Ole Miss, LSU's decision not to suit them up for Week 1 despite the injunction, possible conference punishments including coach suspensions and fines, and similar lawsuits by more than 40 athletes. Some commentary framed the ruling as collapsing NCAA amateurism rules and suggested other programs could follow the same path.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it rests on a named state-court injunction, a federal lawsuit filing, on-the-record testimony, and public statements from the SEC and named athletes. Established facts include Jorden's Thursday preliminary injunction, the SEC's Alabama suit against LSU and Kiffin, Wright's and Harris's NFL training-camp stints, and LSU's choice not to roster them for the Clemson game. Remaining alleged or unresolved are whether LSU orchestrated the players' recruitment and lawsuits, and whether conference rules or the injunction will ultimately control eligibility. No left-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for the SEC's promised appeal, any later LSU roster additions, further court orders or contempt motions, and whether other conferences or judges issue parallel rulings.

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