It’s questionable whether high school football will be played in the Bayou State this fall. Jeff Palermo has the story…
voicer 3 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo

According to the LHSAA guidelines, the only two sports that can compete against other schools in Phase Two are cross country and swimming. Basketball, soccer and wrestling all need to be in phase four too. Volleyball can hold competitive matches in phase three. Expect more discussion on this topic at tomorrow’s BESE meeting.

The Pelicans announced today that Fox Sports New Orleans will locally televise all eight of the team’s seeding games during the 2019-20 regular season restart at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. The Pelicans resume their season on July 30th versus the Utah Jazz at the H-P Field House. The Pels are settling into their accommodations inside the Bubble. Guard Josh Hart has a nice wine cellar at his New Orleans area home, but in Orlando, he’s had to settle for a 15-bottle wine fridge in his room
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In other NBA news, the Rockets Russell Westbrook has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Today would have been the opening day of SEC Media Days, instead, the league’s 14 athletic directors have gathered at the league’s offices in Birmingham, Alabama to discuss how to play sports during a pandemic and rising coronavirus case totals in several S-E-C states

The Big Ten and PAC 12 have already announced that their football teams will only play a conference schedule. The S-E-C is not expected to make a decision until late July. But Commissioner Greg Sankey expressed great concern about the ability to play sports during an interview on ESPN Radio on Saturday morning

The governing body for junior colleges has made the decision to postpone the football season until 2021. The Patriot League becomes the latest conference to decide they will not have fall sports.

It’s official, the Washington Redskins are dropping it’s nickname and the NFL team plans to have a new name in the near future.

The Pelicans are holding practices inside the NBA’s bubble in Orlando, Florida. New Orleans was 11-9 when Zion Williamson returned from an injured knee. Coach Alvin Gentry says they are trying to pick up where they left off during this second training camp…
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Gentry says the team had its best practice yesterday since arriving to Walt Disney World. New Orleans first scrimmage is a week from Wednesday.

Four-star Maryland linebacker Greg Penn the third has committed to LSU. He’s six-foot-one, 225 pounds and ranks as the ninth-best inside linebacker in the country. He gives LSU 16 commitments for the 2021 recruiting class and 13 of them are from out of state.

The S-E-C’s 14 athletic directors are set to meet today at the league’s offices in Birmingham, Alabama. The Big Ten and PAC 12 have already announced that their football teams will only play a conference schedule. The S-E-C is not expected to make a decision until late July. But Commissioner Greg Sankey said on ESPN Radio Saturday morning that the direct reality is not good and they are running out of time in getting the virus under the control. He says as a society we owe it to each other to be as healthy as we can be.

LHSAA Commissioner Eddie Bonine will speak this morning at the House Education Committee. House Education Chairman Ray Garofalo says he hopes fall sports can happen because it’s a good outlet for kids
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As it stands now, fall practice begins August 10th.

The Pelicans are getting used to life inside the NBA’s bubble in Orlando, Florida. The team is staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and veteran shooting guard J-J Redick says he has no complaints
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The team began practicing last Friday and their first scrimmage game against another team is a week from Wednesday.

Four-star Maryland linebacker Greg Penn the third has committed to LSU. He’s six-foot-one, 225 pounds and ranks as the ninth-best inside linebacker in the country. He gives LSU 16 commitments for the 2021 recruiting class and 13 of them are from out of state.

As cases continue to climb in several states, the concern grows that the college football season will be delayed, shortened or possibly moved to the spring. LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron says his players will be ready for any scenario…
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Orgeron says his football team has seen a low number of cases after a spike that occurred in June that was tied to players going to off campus bars.

The Big 10 Conference has decided their schools will only play conference games this fall if they get to play at all. That means the Big 10 football season will consist of just conference games. Tulane was set to play Northwestern on September 12th. But that game will not happen anymore.

The A-C-C says fall sports will not start until September 1st.

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Several Republican lawmakers say they oppose State Senator Cleo Fields’ request for K-12 athletics to be cancelled in the fall. When asked about the letter sent by the Baton Rouge Democrat to BESE, Governor Edwards agreed with detractors in saying that it is too early to make that call. The LHSAA says they are fully committed to having a safe return of high school athletics in the fall. The association encourages member schools to folow LHSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee Guidelines to ensure the safety of student-athletes, coaches and administrators. The brief statements concludes by saying reoepning high school sports depends on all of us working together.

According to the U-S-A Today, Teurlings Catholic offensive lineman Jacob Lemaire has spent four days in the intensive care after being infected with COVID-19 and developing pneumonia. Lemaire’s mother tells the USA Today that her son is on oxygen, but he’s doing really well.

Members of LSU’s national championship football team have three championship rings commemorating their historic 2019 season. Special assistant to head Coach Ed Orgeron, Derek Ponamsky, says the players receieved their rings during a team meeting where they saw a video message from the players on LSU’s three previous national title teams and then Coach O told the guys look under your seat
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For the players and coaches who are no longer with the program, they had their rings shipped to them.

The Pelicans left for Orlando and head coach Alvin Gentry was with the team. ESPN reports Gentry was cleared to be inside bubble that the NBA has set up in Orlando for 22 teams to resume the season. Gentry is 65-years-old and the league is concerned about those over 65 entering the bubble. 67-year-old assistant Jeff Bzdelik is not joining the team.

Senate Education Chairman Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge has asked BESE to suspend fall sports for K-12 schools because of COVID-19. Catholic High football coach Gabe Fertitta says that request took him by surprise and seems like a knee jerk reaction, but he doesn’t have the answer at this point and continues to stress the importance of embracing each day to his players.
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BESE President Sandy Holloway says local school districts will determine if sports will be played.

The Ivy League has determined that none of their schools will play sports ntil January 2021. But Ivy League athletic directors have reportedly not shut the door on the possiblity of football in the spring.

The NFL and its players association have begun discussing the rules for the likelihood of players opting out for the 2020 season. The Baltimore Ravens say if fans are allowed at their games, they’ll have no more than 14-thousand in the stands.

The 2019 LSU national championship football team is supporting new bling as they’ve received their rings for completing a perfect season. Special assistant to head coach Ed Orgeron, Derek Ponamsky, says each player and member of the staff received three rings to commemorate an historic season
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And don’t worry Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow got his rings, they were shipped to him in Ohio.

Many are wondering if we’ll see football in September. Catholic High of Baton Rouge football coach Gabe Fertitta says the state needs to move into phase three of its reopening in order for contact sports like football to be played…
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Governor Edwards is set to provide a COVID-19 briefing this afternoon.

The Pelicans arrive in Orlando today to begin NBA bubble life in Orlando today. Matt Doyle reports some players are a bit uneasy about resuming play…
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There was some question on whether head coach Alvin Gentry would be on the sidelines for the games inside the bubble, but ESPN is reporting that Gentry has been cleared. Gentry is 65-years-old and the league is concerned about those over 65 entering the bubble. 67-year-old assistant Jeff Bzdelik is not joining the team.

Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields has asked the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to cancel high school sports this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the President of BESE, Sandy Holloway, says such a decision has to be made on a local level. According to the White House guidelines for reopening, Louisiana needs to be in Phase 3 for contact sports like football to be played. But with cases surging and hospitalizations and deaths rising, Louisiana remains stuck in Phase 2.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Peter Parrish is no longer listed on the roster on LSU’s website. That leaves Myles Brennan as the only Tiger quarterback with college playing experience. Parrish was suspended from the football team in mid-March for an unspecified violation of team rules. Parrish is from Alabama and we do know that a lawsuit has been filed against LSU by a football player from Bama because he believes is rights were violated.

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The Pelicans leave for Orlando tomorrow, where they hope to spend the next few weeks in the NBA’s bubble. New Orleans is set to play eight regular season games as it attempts to catch Memphis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Today, the Wizards Bradley Beal said he’s not playing in Orlando. Washington is one of the eight teams on the Pels regular season schedule.

Jeff Tannehill is the new head coach at Neville High School replacing Mickey McCarty, who has been hired as the school’s principal. Tannehill is a Neville alum and he’s been assistant for McCarty on two different occasions. He’s also led St. Frederick to a state championship game appearance a few years back.

In basketball coaching news…Randy Carlisle is leaving Summerfield to be the new head coach at Anacoco. Carlisle coached both the boys and girls basketball teams at Summerfield and won five Class C Championships between the two programs. Amber Obaze-Ford has left Ouachita High School to be the new head coach at Summerfield. Chrissy Givens will be the new head coach at Ouachita.

An economist says an LSU football season without fans will cost the school and local economies millions of dollars. Financial statements indicate the LSU football team produced a profit of 57-million dollars for fiscal year 2019. Doctor Loren Scott says not having fans in the stands or no football at all, would severely impact the other sports at LSU…
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A rise in coronavirus cases is raising doubts the college football season will starrt on time. Major decisions are expected later this month from the leaders of the SEC and LSU regarding whether football will start Labor Day weekend and if there will be fans.

Plans are still on for LSU and Louisiana Tech to play each other in men’s basketball on November 24th at the CenturyLink Center. Officials announced today that tickets will go on sale for the game at 10 AM on Thursday.

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The Pelicans have added depth as they prepare to leave for the NBA’s bubble in Orlando on Wednesday. Forward Sindarius Thornwell has inked a deal with New Orleans and he’ll serve as a substitute player. The 25-year-old last played in the NBA G League, averaging nine points, five rebounds and five assists for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

One of the state’s most successful high school football coaches is leaving the sidelines. Neville’s Mickey McCarty has accepted the job as the school’s principal and former St. Frederick head coach Jeff Tannehill will replace McCarty as the Tigers new head football coach. McCarty spent 18 years as Neville’s head coach, winning 197 games and four state championships. Tannehill, who is a Neville grad, led St. Fred’s to a state title game in 2013.

And big news out of the NFL today as the Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have reportedly agreed to a ten-year contract extension that will pay the superstar signal caller over 400-million dollars. Mahomes and the Super Bowl champion Chiefs will be in the Dome on December 20th to the face the Saints.

One of the state’s most successful high school football coaches is leaving the sidelines. Reports out of Monroe say Neville Head Coach Mickey McCarty has accepted the job as the school’s principal and former St. Frederick head coach Jeff Tannehill will reportedly replace McCarty as the Tigers new head football coach. McCarty spent 18 years as Neville’s head coach, winning 197 games and four state championships. Tannehill, who is a Neville grad, led St. Fred’s to a state title game in 2013.

The fourth of July weekend was a busy time for LSU on the recruiting front as the Tigers received two verbal commitments from four-star prospects. Zachary wide receiver Chris Hilton announced his verbal pledge on Friday and that was followed up by defensive end Keanu Koht from Vero Beach, Florida.

Louisiana’s top prospect for 2021, defensive tackle Maason Smith, listed his top eight finalists and LSU is among that group along with Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Miami and Oregon.
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The Pelicans will have three exhibition games prior to the resumption of their season in Orlando. They’ll play the Nets on July 22nd, the Nuggets on the 25th and the Bucks on the 27th. Milwaukee has shut down its practice facility after new coronavirus test results. Teams will begin leaving tomorrow for the NBA’s bubble in Orlando. The Pels will stay at the Yacht Club Resort. Today is Zion Williamson’s birthday, he’s no longer a teenager as the rookie sensation turns 20 years old today.

Two former LSU Tigers have tested positive for COVID-19 as summer camp is underway for Major League Baseball. The two who tested positive are Yankees All-Star infielder D-J LeMahieu and Phillilles pitcher Aaron Nola. LeMahieu is said to be asymptomatic, while Nola’s case might be linked to a coronavirus outbreak last month at Philadelphia’s spring training facility in Clearwater, Florida. Meanwhile, the Astros and Nationals are several major league teams who have had to cancel workouts because of testing delays. M-L-B releases its schedule tonight. A 60-game regular season is scheduled to start July 23rd.

The fourth of July weekend was a busy time for LSU recruiting as the Tigers received two verbal commitments from four-star prospects. Zachary wide receiver Chris Hilton announced his verbal pledge on Friday and that was followed up by defensive end Keanu Koht from Vero Beach, Florida. Hilton is rated as the state’s fourth best prospect. Last season, Hilton hauled in 43 receptions for 846 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Also on the recruiting front, the nation’s top rated quarterback Caleb Williams committed to Oklahoma over LSU and Maryland. Louisiana’s top prospect, defensive tackle Maason Smith listed his top eight finalists and LSU is among that group along with Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Miami and Oregon.

In the NFL, the players association has reportedly let the league know that they think there should not be a preason. The league has suggested two preseason games instead of four.
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The Pelicans will have three exhibition games prior to the resumption of their season in Orlando. They’ll play the Nets on July 22nd, the Nuggets on the 25th and the Bucks on the 27th. Milwaukee has shut down its practice facility after new coronavirus test results. Teams will begin leaving tomorrow for the NBA’s bubble in Orlando. The Pels will stay at the Yacht Club Resort.

Two former LSU Tigers have tested positive for COVID-19 as summer camp is underway for Major League Baseball. The two who tested positive are Yankees All-Star infielder D-J LeMahieu and Phillilles pitcher Aaron Nola. LeMahieu is said to be asymptomatic, while Nola’s case might be linked to a coronavirus outbreak last month at Philadelphia’s spring training facility in Clearwater, Florida.

On the PGA Tour, the beefed up Bryson DeChambeau won the Rocket Mortgage Classice by three strokes for his first victory this season.

And Kevin Harvick won at the Brickyard, defeating Matt Kenseth as NASCAR ran in Indianapolis.