10/29/2026 04:07:00
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10/29 16:05 CDT LSU coach Will Wade declines to discuss RJ Luis Jr.'s status
with the Tigers
LSU coach Will Wade declines to discuss RJ Luis Jr.'s status with the Tigers
By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) --- LSU coach Will Wade declined on Thursday to take
questions about RJ Luis Jr., who a day earlier won a temporary restraining
order that could open a door for him to play for the Tigers --- if Wade adds
him to his roster.
"I'd like to talk about some eligibility stuff, but I'm not talking about that.
I can't talk about that," Wade said before taking any questions about his team,
which opens the regular season on Tuesday night against LSU-New Orleans.
"I've made my stance very clear on things," Wade added, "and my stance has not
changed."
Wade has previously stated that he intended to follow "SEC protocols" regarding
Luis, but the latest court order in the case ostensibly bans Wade from doing
that.
The NCAA has argued that Luis is not eligible to play because he left college
to participate in the NBA draft and not only failed to withdraw as required to
return to college, but briefly spent time with the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics
during the 2025 offseason and preseason.
The Southeastern Conference also has ruled Luis ineligible, saying its own
rules ban players who have participated in the NBA, WBNA or NFL drafts, or
signed contracts with teams from those leagues.
Luis' lawyers --- Elliot Abrams and Tony Clayton --- have asserted that their
client, who never played in an NBA game, is no more of a pro than numerous
players from overseas who played for developmental professional teams before
being granted waivers by the NCAA to play in college in the U.S.
In late August, a Louisiana judge issued a preliminary injunction against the
NCAA that effectively made Luis eligible to play in college pending the
resolution of his case. On Wednesday, that ruling by state District Judge
Ronald R. Johnson in East Baton Rouge Parish was expanded to include the
Southeastern Conference and LSU.
Specifically, the latest ruling temporarily bars the SEC from punishing LSU if
it plays Luis. It also forbids LSU from citing SEC rules as a reason for
declining to play Luis.
The ruling puts Wade, who recruited Luis, in the awkward position of having to
choose between defying the SEC or the court --- unless he can come up with some
other reason why Luis is no longer welcome on the team.
Clayton said Thursday that if LSU does not place Luis on the roster, he intends
to keep up the legal push for his client's right to play.
The newest injunction takes effect before LSU's season opener and lasts until a
hearing --- tentatively set for Nov. 13 --- can be held in the case.
The SEC has a long-established rule forbidding teams from adding players with
major professional experience to their rosters. In September, the conference
announced updated enforcement provisions to that rule, stating that the
commissioner had the power to suspend coaches, fine universities up to half of
a sport's budget and restrict a member university's voting privileges on
conference matters.
Under threat of being voted out of the SEC by fellow league members, LSU
elected in early September not to add to its football roster two players who'd
spent part of the offseason with NFL clubs before being recruited back to
college by Tigers first-year coach Lane Kiffin.
Those players, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, had played for Kiffin at
Mississippi. During Week 1 of the season, they were granted a preliminary
injunction against the NCAA and SEC by another state judge in Baton Rouge.
That case led the SEC to file a federal case alleging that LSU, by attempting
to circumvent SEC rules, was violating the league's First Amendment right of
expressive association. In other words, the SEC essentially argued it has the
right to enforce rules governing competition among members who all chose to
join the league.
Luis, the 2025 Big East Player of the Year with St. John's, played three
seasons of college basketball with two teams before declaring for the 2025 NBA
draft.
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