Former LSU and current Rams lineman Andrew Whitworth has been named the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year. Whitworth’s acceptance speech has drawn rave reviews for his humility and his call to action for the NFL and its players to keep doing more in their communities to make them better. Rick Guillot, president of the BigWhit 77 Foundation, says that’s the Andrew he’s always known…

Cut 10 (12) “…so proud of him.”

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The man in the middle of the famed Dome Patrol has finally had his name called for entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Linebacker Sam Mills will join six others as part of the 2022 class, and becomes the fourth player in Saints history to earn induction into the hall. He joins Wille Roaf, Morten Andersen, and fellow Dome Patroller Rickey Jackson. Jackson made the announcement Thursday night at the NFL Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

After starting his career in the USFL, Mills joined the Saints in 1986, earning four Pro Bowl selections. He still ranks second on the team’s all-time tackles list with 894.

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CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram each scored 15 points for the New Orleans Pelicans, but it wasn’t enough as the Pels lost to the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat, 112-97; ending their four-game winning streak. The Pelicans were outscored 56-42 in the second half. They host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in the third game of a six-game homestand.

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Pelicans executive vice-president of basketball operations, David Griffin, still has no real updates on the progress of Zion Williamson, who has missed the entire season recovering from offseason foot surgery. Griffin hopes to have imaging done on Williamson’s foot in the next week or two to provide a better answer, but no timetable has been set.

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A busy Saturday for college basketball across the state. The LSU men host Mississippi State, and Tulane has a big American conference matchup against Temple. Both Grambling and Southern are on the road. In the Southland Conference, McNeese visits Northwestern State, while Nicholls, Southeastern, and UNO are all at home.  Finally, UL-M and the UL both host Sun Belt Conference matchups.

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LSU baseball begins three days of Fall scrimmages Friday at The Box starting at 6:30 PM. The Tigers will be back at it at 1:30 pm on Saturday and again at 11:30 am Sunday. Sunday is also fan appreciation day featuring an autograph session with the team.