BATON ROUGE - LSU insiders are writing off a report about Leonard Fournette's family pushing the envelope of collegiate sports rules with a business venture.

Thursday, USA Today published a story about Fournette's parents and an associate putting plans for an online merchandise outlet on hold. According to the report, the group was going to sell hats and t-shirts with the "BUGA Nation" motto, a phrase that became used by Fournette, his family, friends and fans as he rose to stardom in high school.

The business was set to make someone rich, and had been backed by thousands of dollars in investments from various people. But, the site went stale when its organizers were worried about it being against the rules of the NCAA.

"There's certain rules that just can't be broken," Lory Fournette, Leonard Fournette's mom, told USA TODAY Sports.

Nothing has happened with the site since Fournette arrived at LSU in 2014.

Reporter Josh Peter wrote there was no official statement from the family and LSU. The SEC said there was no record of correspondence with the Fournettes about the business.

WBRZ Sports Director Michael Cauble likened the report to a distraction ahead of the game and clickbait – something written and posted on a website to gain page views – by a site hoping to capitalize on what will be the largest college football game this weekend.

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