Dozens of athletes received a fifth season of eligibility in a Baton Rouge court Thursday night, and Governor Jeff Landry told Fox Business that he thinks the SEC is unfairly targeting LSU in the legal battle. Kace Kieschnick reports.
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Not everyone is rolling out the welcome mat for Hyundai Steel in Ascension Parish. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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Governor Jeff Landry believes the SEC is unfairly targeting LSU in the legal battle over athletes seeking a fifth year of college eligibility. In an interview with Fox Business, Landry questioned why the SEC is not taking action against other schools, including Texas, which has offensive lineman Cole Hutson on its roster after he participated in two NFL rookie minicamps.
The SEC has sued LSU in an effort to prevent the university from rostering players who spent time with NFL teams during training camp.
Landry also takes issue with national media reports referring to the athletes as former pros or ex-NFL players. He says the controversy could have been avoided if the NCAA had granted the high school class of 2022 athletes a blanket waiver for a fifth season of eligibility when the association implemented its new five-for-five rule.
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Tight end Dae’Quan Wright is one of the plaintiffs in the Louisiana college eligibility case. Wright was cut by two NFL teams earlier this summer and after he his release from the Cleveland Browns he committed to LSU. Wright says he’s relieved to receive a fifth year of college eligibility.
Wright says he expects to play Saturday against Clemson. Former Alabama and LSU head coach Nick Saban said on the ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show that if he was LSU, he’d be very careful how to proceed here, because it’s possible a federal or state court could rule these players ineligible and there maybe consequences relative to that.
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College football’s top-rated pregame show, “ESPN College GameDay” will kick off its 40th season Saturday morning as it will broadcast live from the LSU Campus its 500th show on the road. LSU Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette says it’s the 15th time ESPN College GameDay has hosted its show at LSU.
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Saturday night’s season opening matchup against Clemson is one of the most anticipated games in Tiger Stadium in several years. Bonnette is expecting a big crowd for the show.
Pat McAfee’s kicking contest returns for its fourth season. Two-time country music entertainer of the year and Franklin Parish native Lainey Wilson is the celebrity guest picker and she’s expected to also perform during the show. Bonnette expects College GameDay will go all out for its 500th show.
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The show begins at eight a-m; if you decide to go, we strongly suggest you arrive well before then.
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Not everyone is happy with the arrival of the Hyundai Steel plant in Ascension Parish in 2029. Ann Rolfes (RAWL-fis), the director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, says by putting up the plant, the state is prioritizing a company from the other side of the world over local companies.
Rolfes says the state is going out of its way to tend to Hyundai’s needs while neglecting the needs of the people of the state.
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The Louisiana Bucket Brigade is also concerned about the environmental impact the steel plant will have, even though the company plans on reducing carbon emissions by 70-percent by using electricity instead of burning coal to produce the steel. Rolfes says Hyundai is not being honest in its air permit application.
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This is a Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over weekend. The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission has made extra funds available to help local law enforcement agencies identify, stop and arrest drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Frank Besson says last year alcohol or drugs contributed to 34-percent of the state’s fatal crashes.
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Besson says when he was a young Trooper, he investigated a fatal drunk driving crash that claimed the life of a six-year-old boy. He says it didn’t have to happen if the driver made the decision not to drink and drive.
Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Executive Director Lisa Freeman reminds motorists this weekend that impaired driving is a crime.