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Lawyers representing RJ Luis Jr., a basketball player who had brief contracts with two NBA teams in 2025 but never appeared in a game, have petitioned a Louisiana judge to stop the Southeastern Conference from taking action against LSU should Luis join the Tigers' lineup. The request was part of a petition filed Tuesday in East Baton Rouge Parish state district court, where Judge Ronald R. Johnson had issued a preliminary injunction against the NCAA in late August. The NCAA contends that Luis is ineligible to play.
An SEC spokesperson declined to comment on the new filing Tuesday. The conference has already accused LSU in a separate federal case of persistently violating its professionalism rules by attempting to add Luis to the roster. The SEC has a longstanding rule that prohibits teams from adding players with significant professional experience.
In September, the SEC rolled out tougher enforcement measures for that rule, granting the commissioner authority to suspend coaches, fine universities up to half of a sports budget, and limit a member school's voting rights on conference matters. Facing the threat of expulsion by fellow SEC members, LSU chose in early September not to add two football players who had spent part of the offseason with NFL teams before being recruited back to college by first-year Tigers coach Lane Kiffin. Those players, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, had previously played for Kiffin at Mississippi.
During Week 1 of the season, another state judge in Baton Rouge granted them a preliminary injunction against both the NCAA and SEC. That case prompted the SEC to file a federal lawsuit claiming that LSU, by trying to circumvent conference rules, was infringing on the league's First Amendment right to freedom of association. Essentially, the SEC argued it has the right to enforce rules governing competition among members who voluntarily joined the league.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has ridiculed the SEC for that stance, labeling its federal case as "garbage." She has submitted briefs backing LSU and advocating for dismissal of the case, in which she has since been named a defendant.
The attorneys who filed Thursday's petition in Louisiana state court—Elliot Abrams of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Tony Clayton of Baton Rouge—represent only Luis, not LSU. They have also asked the judge to prevent LSU from adhering to any SEC directives that would keep Luis off the court. "LSU has not rostered Mr. Luis, and the reason it has given is the Conference's protocols," the petition states. "This court enjoined the NCAA, and everyone acting in concert or participation with it, from keeping RJ Luis Jr. off the floor at LSU this season, directly or indirectly. The Southeastern Conference's policy is what keeps him off the floor now."
Luis, the 2025 Big East Player of the Year with St. John's, played three seasons of college basketball at two schools before entering the 2025 NBA draft. He went undrafted but briefly signed with the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics. Will Wade, who was hired last spring for his second stint as LSU coach, recruited Luis to return to college. The NCAA resisted restoring Luis's eligibility because he had chosen to leave college for the NBA and did not follow NCAA protocols for retaining eligibility by withdrawing from the draft.
Key Analysis
The legal battle highlights a growing tension between conference rules and individual player rights, with LSU caught in the middle. The SEC's efforts to enforce its professionalism rule face pushback from Louisiana officials and now from Luis's legal team, setting the stage for a potential precedent on athlete eligibility and conference authority.
Originally reported by yahoo.