Campaign to overturn an LSU players’ suspension includes billboards and a governor
When LSU plays host to No. 1-ranked Alabama on Saturday night in Death Valley, the Tigers will be without starting linebacker Devin White for the first half.
The junior was suspended for targeting his hit on Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald in the second half of LSU’s 19-3 win last week.
An appeal went for naught as the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported LSU senior associate athletic director Robert Munson said SEC officials made it clear there is no appeals process.
White’s defense team didn’t just include fans, but LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, LSU athletic director Joe Alleva, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and famed political commentator James Carville.
“I loved it,” Orgeron told reporters Tuesday, according to Rivals. “The governor and I have become friends and he’s probably LSU’s biggest fan. So is James Carville. I appreciate them fighting for the Tigers. This is Louisiana. This is our school. This is how it should be.”
Carville wrote an op-ed piece in the Baton Rouge Advocate that alleged collusion between the SEC and Alabama, and implored SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to overrule the suspension.
Rivals reported Orgeron plans to argue for changes to the targeting rule in the offseason.
Meanwhile, fans have begun the #FreeDevinWhite campaign fully equipped with a GoFundMe account aiming to raise billboards in Birmingham, Alabama, which is the site of the SEC’s headquarters.
In less than 24 hours, the account exceeded its $4,150 goal and is approaching $6,000.
There’s even a proposed “whiteout” for the Saturday night game, according to Baton Rouge television station WBRZ.
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