Inside a Louisiana courtroom': SEC-LSU legal circus played out like a John Grisham novel in stunning showdown

BATON ROUGE, La. — SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey covertly arrived at a Louisiana courtroom Thursday morning more than an hour before the circus was scheduled to begin, just two days before LSU was set to welcome Clemson to "Death Valley.,"

Around the same time Sankey took his seat, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stepped out of a government vehicle and made her way inside. Before entering, however, she made her allegiance clear.

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"Go Tigers," Murrill, wearing a purple outfit, proclaimed before blasting both the NCAA and SEC

If you didnt realize the courthouse was just minutes from LSUs campus, the purple-and-gold atmosphere inside and outside the building made it clear.

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Television cameras lined the street as reporters waited for everyone connected to the lawsuit to arrive for the highly anticipated showdown.

While nearly everyone involved entered through the front door, Sankey slipped in through a side entrance, avoiding the cameras and reporters hoping to ask him questions.

Why?

The Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office later released a statement saying Sankey used the side entrance because of threats made against the commissioner before his arrival. Some people associated with the plaintiffs, however, suggested the SEC leader was simply trying to avoid questions.

All of that pregame commotion set the stage for what came next. And to put it mildly, Thursdays hearing was dramatic.

The conference knew exactly what it was doing Thursday morning.

If you thought Sankey traveled to Baton Rouge empty-handed, you havent been following the gamesmanship that unfolded behind the scenes in the days leading up to the hearing.

Just minutes after Greg Sankey took a seat inside the witness box, a noticeable wave of emotions moved through the courtroom.

It was in the early morning hours of Thursday that the Southeastern Conference had initiated a preemptive strike.

The SEC had filed a federal lawsuit in Alabama against LSU, head coach Lane Kiffin and athletic department officials alleging that the school was violating First Amendment rights of the conference just as the hearing in Louisiana was getting underway.

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The SECs lawsuit alleges that LSU was actively recruiting NFL players to return to college while also preventing the conference from enforcing its rules against professional athletes participating in collegiate sports.

Simply put, the SEC is furious that LSU has challenged the conferences attempts to enforce its eligibility rules for athletes returning from professional sports.

NCAA HAS NO

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