Tennessee chancellor says SEC 'will not budge' on NFL rule - ESPN

The president of the SEC's executive committee, Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman, told ESPN on Tuesday that the league «will not budge» on its rule that NFL players cannot return to college. Speaking on behalf of the SEC's presidents and chancellors, she made clear that the SEC is «prepared to defend our rules» and wants commissioner Greg Sankey to feel empowered to levy significant penalties.

«We have a responsibility to try and lead the best we can in this time of chaos,» Plowman said. «Our group is united on this. This is not a rule we will budge on.» She added: «Enough is enough.»

Plowman's comments come amid a gripping potential showdown between LSU and the SEC over the eligibility of former NFL players who've committed to the Tigers but have yet to be formally added to the roster.

If the SEC takes immediate action to punish LSU, the league would be violating a standing court order issued by a state judge in Louisiana that prohibits the SEC and Sankey from enforcing any rules — including conference-wide bans on pro players — that would keep the players involved in an ongoing lawsuit off the field.

Plowman stressed that the SEC presidents and chancellors are most concerned with the «narrow» issue of players returning from the NFL to college, which has emerged amid a flurry of eligibility lawsuits of players seeking a fifth year of eligibility in the wake of the NCAA's new eligibility rules. She called the return to college a «line in the sand» for the presidents and chancellors.

«It's not a new rule,» Plowman said of pros not being able to return to college. «We didn't just cook up a rule. It's not a new rule. The way we see it. We are a voluntary membership organization, and we have a right to set and enforce our