The Southeastern Conference continues to threaten to expel LSU over the university's attempt to sign professional athletes to its football and basketball programs.
The renewed threat comes amid LSU's attempt to have a federal judge dismiss the conference's lawsuit against the university. On Wednesday, the SEC filed a motion objecting to LSU's filing.
One analyst says the lawsuit is about more than players going from the pros back to the amateur ranks.
"It's more of a power struggle (in which the) SEC (is) saying, 'We can self-govern,'" WWL All Things Legal host Doug Sunseri said. "The SEC is trying to continue to grasp or hold on to the control that it's been losing for the last 10 years."
Sunseri told WWL's Tommy Tucker that the lawsuit is moot because LSU Football refused to roster players who signed NFL contracts and because LSU basketball coach Will Wade says he will comply with SEC protocols in his recruiting endeavors.
However, Sunseri says the SEC is trying to preserve and consolidate the power it's traditionally held over its membership, which he believes could break away from the NCAA and form their own semi-pro league in the next decade.
"They are sort of having a hard time wrapping their mind around that this is going to have to be a more collaborative process with the players," Sunseri said. "I think eventually you're going to have a super conference that's going to break off that's going to break off from the rest of the NCAA--college football."
In a statement, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill responded to the SEC's motion to keep the lawsuit alive, calling the SEC's lawsuit "garbage" and accusing SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey of "never acting in good faith."
