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Compliance experts don't expect big penalties for LSU over Beckham's cash handouts

Alika Jenner / Getty Images Sport / Getty

LSU is unlikely to face significant NCAA penalties after some players appeared to accept cash from Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. following the College Football Playoff National Championship, two compliance experts told CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd.

The university initially wasn't sure whether the money Beckham gave players after they won Monday's game was real. LSU said Wednesday that it had contacted the NCAA and SEC in order to address the situation.

Quarterback Joe Burrow suggested Wednesday that the bills were real.

"My takeaway is that they were celebrating and having fun," former NCAA enforcement official Tim Nevius told Dodd. "This is overly scrutinized despite the fact it could potentially be a rules violation. But it is unlikely to impact anyone's eligibility because the guys who accepted the money are leaving.

"And any underclassmen who got money, there is a threshold that will require them to repay the money that would not likely result in a suspension."

Brian Battle, a former Florida State and FAU compliance official, said he agreed with Nevius.

Beckham, one of several former Tigers who attended the game, was seen putting cash in players' hands on the field and later joined the team in the locker room to continue the celebration.

LSU compliance and the NCAA will continue to investigate the situation.

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