SEC's Greg Sankey, NCAA named in lawsuit ove pro rule

SportsTAMPA, FLORIDA - JULY 20: SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks at the SEC Football Media Day at Tampa Marriott Water Street on July 20, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images)Getty ImagesA Texas judge put the SEC’s new eligibility rule on hold Thursday in a case that includes more than 40 players.“As long as they would have been eligible to continue playing college sports in the following semester if they had a fifth year of eligibility, they are eligible today,” Dallas County Judge Martin Hoffman wrote in the temporary restraining order, per reports.This lawsuit names the NCAA, the SEC and its commissioner, Greg Sankey, as defendants.The order said nothing of the other Power 4 Conferences, all of which have passed similar rules that went beyond the NFL to include basketball, as well. The Atlantic Coast Conference became the last of the four to pass a rule Thursday. The Mountain West, a Group of Six conference, passed a similar prohibition hours after the ACC announcement.At the center of the issue, is the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule. The rule does not apply to college players who exhausted their fourth year of eligibility last spring; many are suing across the country for that fifth year.Two of the plaintiffs are former SMU receiver Jordon Hudson of the Cowboys and former Miami linebacker Wesley Bissainthe of the Chiefs. Neither played in the SEC, though the judge, per The Associated Press, ordered the NCAA to open the transfer portal for a week, meaning either could play for a new school if one wanted to sign them.The SEC finalized this week its penalty structure for schools who attempt to roster players who previously signed a pro contract with the NFL, NBA, G League or WNBA.The SEC announced late Tuesday that, by a unanimous vote of league presidents, chancellors and athletics directors, Sankey had the right to levy a wide variety of punishments for schools in violation of bylaw 4.4.3. Now it appears we know what some of those penalties will be, and they are stiff.The penalties would include the following:• A half-season suspension for the head coach of the team in question;• The revocation of SEC voting privileges on league business matter;• A fine totaling 50% percent of that sport’s annual operating budget.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Mark Heim is a senior writer who provides sports, news and trending content. He co-hosts a daily sports radio show on WNSP-FM 105.5 in Mobile. Heim has been recognized with awards for his writing, headlines and...