Murrill’s motion, if approved, would dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice—meaning that the conference will no longer be able to sue over the same allegations, even if it refiles or amends its complaint.
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) said it is “deeply disappointed” by Louisiana State University’s attempt to dismiss an ongoing federal lawsuit over the Tigers’ past attempts to sign former NFL players onto their roster.
On Friday, Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill, a named defendant in the SEC’s lawsuit, filed a motion to dismiss in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
Murrill’s motion, if approved, would dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice—meaning that the conference will no longer be able to sue over the same allegations, even if it refiles or amends its complaint.
In court document, Murrill said that the SEC has no “personal jurisdiction” over the defendants and that the lawsuit itself “fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.”
ESPN reports that, on September 8, the SEC filed an amended complaint after LSU coach Lane Kiffin released plans to add former NFL players to the school’s football roster. The SEC then scheduled a vote of its presidents to determine whether the Tigers should be expelled from the conference.
Ultimately, the vote never happened—in large part because LSU decided not to retain two players, Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, both of whom had spent time in NFL training camps before going back to school. Kiffin also added two injured players to complete his 105-man roster, a decision, ESPN says, that seemed to defuse tension between the SEC and Louisiana State.
But on Friday, Murrill said that the conference’s claims haven’t yet been resolved.
“In the intervening weeks, material developments have confirmed that this lawsuit was unwarranted when it was filed—and, more importantly, that the lawsuit is unwarranted today,” Murrill wrote in the motion to dismiss. “The SEC filed its suit and motion for preliminary relief primarily because of claimed fears over Louisiana State University rostering certain football players or interfering with an SEC meeting on September 10.
“The players in question were not, in fact, rostered—and LSU’s football roster is full and closed for the 2026-2027 football season,” Murrill said. “The September 10 meeting, moreover, came and went without a problem. The SEC thus faces no imminent, concrete harm that could establish a case or controversy.”
Murrill went on to say that the SEC’s “core (and odd) complaint”—that it has sustained First Amendment-related harms over being forced to continue associating with LSU—is entirely “self-inflicted.”
“Any harm from continued association is not forced upon the SEC,” Murrill wrote. “Indeed, as only one member of a 16-member unincorporated association, LSU has no power to force the SEC to do anything.”
In response, the SEC said that it is “deeply disappointed” with the motion to dismiss.
“The Southeastern Conference is aware of the motion filed Friday by LSU officials and the Louisiana Attorney General seeking dismissal of the conference’s federal lawsuit,” Southeastern Conference officials said in a statement. “We are deeply disappointed that this filing came amid efforts to reach a resolution with LSU that would address our other member universities’ concerns about LSU’s commitment to the conference’s rules and shared governance responsibilities.
Sources
SEC irked LSU is trying to dismiss suit with issue ‘unresolved’
