The college sports ecosystem welcomes the current chaos in part, because it justifies the ongoing effort to get an antitrust exemption from Congress. Which, in turn, will allow the programs to partially pick the pockets of players and/or limit their freedom to hopscotch from school to school, like coaches do.
That’s the hidden benefit of the Brendan Sorsby controversy or the ongoing tug of war between LSU and the SEC over former NFL players returning to school.
To no surprise, the statement issued on Friday by LSU president Wade Rousse includes an overt effort to parlay his school’s predicament into real progress as to the bigger-picture effort to secure the exemption.
“LSU respects the judicial process and the court’s decision,” Rousse saud. “Our responsibility is to support our programs while complying with the law and the rules governing our conference. We will carefully review the court’s order and continue to work constructively with the SEC and NCAA as this matter moves forward. College football does not deserve this kind of ambiguity in eligibility standards, this is just another illustration that congress needs to pass a version of the Protect College Sports Act.”
Beyond making a push for a Congressional solution to the instability that the system has created, Rousse seems to be setting up an avenue for backing down and not adding former NFL players to the roster in advance of Saturday’s season opener before Clemson.
While coach Lane Kiffin may not care at all about the long-term relationship between LSU and the SEC, Rousse does. And in the cost-benefit analysis of creating possible irreparable harm to the relationship with the other members of its conference via the eleventh-hour addition of two players, Rousse may very well decide it’s just not worth it.
One way or the other, we’ll have an answer today.