SEC says it will stand by rule banning pro players from competing

College football’s most contentious ongoing standoff will continue.

Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman, the president of the SEC’s executive committee, told ESPN on Tuesday, Sept. 1 that the league isn’t backing away from its rule banning professional athletes from returning to college, adding that the SEC is "prepared to defend our rules.”

The comments come as one of the conference’s longtime members, LSU, has landed commitments from several players to its roster that had signed NFL contracts before opting to return to the college game with an additional season of eligibility granted to them by a temporary restraining order from a Louisiana judge.

"We have a responsibility to try and lead the best we can in this time of chaos," Plowman said to ESPN. "Our group is united on this. This is not a rule we will budge on."

In response to the developments around LSU, SEC presidents voted 15-0 to pass a rule that would impose severe penalties on a school that uses a player who had previously signed a deal with an NFL, NBA or WNBA team. LSU reportedly abstained from the vote.

Days after being passed, the measure encountered an obstacle when a Louisiana state judge signed a…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/