SEC commissioner Greg Sankey spoke out against athletes who have signed professional contracts returning to college sports, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Dan Murphy.

Sankey did so in an affidavit filed to Judge Ronald Johnson in a Louisiana courthouse last week.

“These rules are grounded in the principle that athletics are an integral part of the academic experience,” Sankey wrote in the affidavit. “The rules align the time permitted for college athletics with the pursuit of an undergraduate education and further the important purpose of preserving opportunities for future student-athletes to participate in college sports.”

The affidavit was in response to former St. John’s guard RJ Luis, who last played college basketball in 2024-25, signing a two-way contract with the Jazz before being traded to the Celtics ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season. Luis never played a regular-season game in the NBA or the G League — although did play three preseason games with Boston —and most recently committed to play college basketball for LSU for the 2026-27 season.

Former Missouri basketball forward Mark Mitchell is attempting to do what Sankey opposes and return to college after signing a professional contract.

Mitchell signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Denver Nuggets following the 2026 NBA Draft and suited up for three games in the Summer League.

On Aug. 12, Mitchell joined a Kentucky lawsuit that asks judge Brian Edwards to grant its plaintiffs eligibility for the 2026-27 season and to temporarily open the transfer portal, the latter of which is not included in the ruling from Colorado judge Charlotte Sweeney.

Sankey believes that athletes who have signed professional contracts and are attempting to return to the collegiate level hold an unfair advantage over their competition.

“Permitting former professional athletes to return to competition creates a competitive disadvantage and fundamental unfairness for current student-athletes who have not pursued a professional sports career but instead have maintained their commitment to the collegiate athletics model,” Sankey wrote.

Mitchell and the plaintiffs who join him in the suit had their original hearing delayed. Edwards is expected to make a ruling this week.