LSU’s new football head coach Lane Kiffin has already proven he doesn’t mind twisting rules to find a loophole. In the latest, he agreed to sign two of the 42 former NFL players to his team after a Louisiana judge issued an injunction that basically stopped the SEC and the NCAA from taking any action against Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. What it didn’t stop was the conference literally calling for a vote to put LSU out of the SEC for good.

But in a long game of chess between the NFL free agents, the NCAA, the SEC, and LSU, Kiffin didn’t mind losing his queen to go for a checkmate. When he revealed his final 105-player roster yesterday, Kiffin left out Wright and Harris, going back on what he had promised before. However, with their career now stuck in limbo, Wright and Harris have reminded the head coach that he shouldn’t underestimate his opponents this early in the fight.

Their attorney, Ryan Downton, confirmed that both “players are reviewing legal options,” Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported today. Instead of saving those final two spots for the former pros, LSU added defensive end Gabriel Reliford and cornerback Aidan Anding, who were both not present on the roster to begin the season. By hitting that strict 105-player limit, LSU locked its roster. But as if he were the man of few words, Kiffin gave a straight forward answer to why he made the decision.

“My job is what I believe is right, and I believe we were fighting for what was right for those kids,” Kiffin said in his postgame news conference after defeating Clemson. “I’m not going to get into all the reasons, but that’s what I believe.”

The two former NFL players spent weeks training with LSU, practiced for two days, and were confident they would play against Clemson, under the impression that the coaching staff had their back. But whether they added Wright and Harris to their rosters or not, LSU and Kiffin were in a pickle either way.

Why LSU and Kiffin cutting the former NFL players off their roster is a problem for them

When the Louisiana judge gave LSU the green light to put both players on the field, it explicitly banned the school from taking actions that would negatively impact the players. In fact, the ruling also prevented the NCAA and SEC from taking action that would adversely affect the athletes. And so, LSU’s latest move could only mean one thing: they were in contempt of court. But Kiffin is simply looking at the bigger war he’s in instead of this small battle.

On ESPN’s “College GameDay” this Saturday that the decision not to roster Wright and Harris for the Tigers’ first game was made for the “big picture of LSU and the LSU football program” given the “uncertainties of what could come by adding them to the roster.”

Attorney Ryan Downton had previously threatened LSU with the same if they refused to roster the guys, meaning the school could face severe legal penalties.

Now, the players are finally ready to come swinging at the school, the head coach, and everyone else involved. For now, Wright and Harris, who played for Kiffin at Ole Miss last year, are enrolled at the school and have a possibility of making it to the roster down the line. But even if they make it to the field later in the season, LSU has a bigger storm staring it right in the eye.

SEC calls for vote to remove LSU from its conference

SEC has long been showing signs of self-governance to regulate members. So, even when it comes down to one of the powerhouses and flagship brands like LSU, SEC is not playing it slow.

The SEC was absolutely furious about the idea of players with professional league ties stepping back onto college fields, arguing it ruined the “bright line” separating college and pro sports. And so, it took quick action.

The conference filed a federal lawsuit in Alabama against LSU, Kiffin, and school officials. They even accused LSU of a “lack of institutional control” and scheduled an emergency meeting to vote on whether to completely expel LSU as an SEC member institution.

Faced with the literal death penalty of being kicked out of their own conference, LSU clearly blinked first. But while the school successfully saved its skin and pacified the SEC, the conference is making its thoughts stern.

Apparently, even if LSU doesn’t bring Wright and Harris into its fold, the SEC is planning to pull the plug on the Tigers.

“The SEC and its member universities have the right to establish, through agreed-upon governance procedures, the rules under which they voluntarily compete and to expect those rules to be followed,” the SEC said in a statement earlier Tuesday. “A commitment to those rules, and to the core principles of the Southeastern Conference, is an essential element of SEC membership.

“Today’s filing is necessary to defend that right and preserve the Conference’s ability to govern competition among its members.”

So far, the degree of support to remove LSU is not yet known. However, it goes on to show that Kiffin and LSU have made some enemies in the conference. And as it turns out, local media saw this train wreck coming from a mile away.

Baton Rouge radio host has long been predicting how LSU going against the SEC will turn out

Popular Baton Rouge radio host Matt Moscona had already called his bets on it. Moscona warned his listeners ahead of time that leaving these guys out would launch a whole new battleground in civil court.

“Number one is, the players could sue for damages,” Moscona explained. “If a player has a ruling from a judge that says they are eligible, and you do not roster that player, then they could sue in civil court for damages.

“And just like I told you, that the SEC was going to be enjoined in the lawsuit, and just like I told you that the SEC was going to sue LSU in federal court. I’m telling you again that if LSU doesn’t roster those players, the plaintiffs’ attorneys are going to sue for damages to collect monetary damages for their client”

This is exactly why the lawyers are ready to start swinging again. Now, as LSU prepares to take the field this weekend against Louisiana Tech at home, Lane Kiffin has a full 105-man roster on the field. But off the field, the school is facing an uncomfortable fight with its own conference and two former NFL prospects who feel betrayed.