Maason Smith, LSU football star explains perspective on autograph signing, NCAA suspension

BATON ROUGE — LSU football star defensive tackle Maason Smith did not know he was breaking NCAA rules when he participated in an autograph signing one month before NIL, he revealed on Wednesday.

Smith, who spoke with the media for the first time since the NCAA suspended him for the Tigers' season opener against Florida State on Sunday for taking part in that signing, wishes that he had known more about NIL before doing the autograph signing.

"Looking back on it, I didn't really know that was (a rule violation). That's not what I was thinking about when I did it," Smith said. "I was thinking that it was good."

Sunday was expected to be Smith's return to the field after he missed all but one series a year ago. Smith tore his ACL against Florida State in the Tigers' season opener in New Orleans last season.

But instead of playing, Smith watched on the sidelines with a clipboard in his hands as the Seminoles trounced LSU to open the season in Orlando, 45-24.

Smith said he knew for a couple of weeks prior to the game that he would not play on Sunday. But he had known that a suspension was possible for "some time."

"At the time, coming into school, there was so much talk about NIL supposed(ly) drop Jan. 1, Feb. 1. It was just month after month after month they were saying it was supposed to launch," Smith said. "With the lack of knowledge I had on the subject, I made a decision with a couple of my former teammates (to take part in the signing)."

Smith will finally make his return to the field when the Tigers host Grambling State for their home opener on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ESPN+).

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Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football: Maason Smith explains autograph signing, suspension