LSU announces it will play Grambling State and Southern for the first time ever in football over the next couple of years. The Fighting Tigers will host the Jaguars on September 10th, 2022 in Tiger Stadium and in 2023, Grambling will be in Death Valley for a game against LSU on September ninth. Athletics Director Scott Woodward says these games will not only be a celebration of football, but also the state of Louisiana and all of its people.

On Friday night, protestors smashed the exterior glass of the College Football of Hame in Atlanta and gained entry. But officials say the hall’s treasured artifacts, collections and displays were untouched and remain protected in secured locations. The substantial damage that did occur was limited to the gift shop and its merchandise.

Former Auburn football coach and athletic director Pat Dye has passed away at the age of 80. He won 99 games in 12 seasons and won and shared four SEC titles. The 80-year-old was hospitalized last month for kidney-related issues.

A bill that sets up the regulations so Louisiana residents can participate in online fantasy sports contests for cash prizes is headed to the governor’s desk. Fairness for Fantasy Sports spokesperson Ryan Berni says they’re confident Governor Edwards will sign the legislation and hopefully lawmakers will approve the taxation in the June special session.
Cut 12 (08) “this year
The special session is set to begin one minute after the regular session ends at 6:00 tonight.

There’s big news involving Louisiana Tech and its baseball program. The Conference USA Baseball championship tournament will be played at J-C Love Field at Patterson Park next year. The facility is currently being rebuilt after it was destroyed by an EF-3 tornado last year. It will mark the first Conference USA championship that La Tech has hosted since it joined the league in 2013 and the first Tech baseball hosted the league championships since the 2008 Western Athletic Conference Championships.

The death of George Floyd and during an arrest in Minneapolis has hit home for Saints defensive end Cam Jordan. He was born in Minneapolis and tells WWL Radio that he still has family and friends in Minnesota. Jordan says black men feel targeted by police and it will take a multitude of different facets of people to come together and abolish this ideal.

Former LSU star Joe Burrow tweeted out on Friday that the black community needs our help. He says they’ve been unheard for far too long. The Heisman Trophy winner says open your ears, listen and speak. Burrow finished his tweet by saying this isn’t politics, this is human rights.

A crash between Chase Elliott and Joey Logano with just over a lap left resulted in Brad Keselowski crossing the finish line in first place at Bristol, Tennessee. It’s his second win of the season and his second win in five races since NASCAR restarted.

The Major League Baseball Players Association has reportedly presented a return to play proposal that calls for a 114-game season, deferred salaries if the 2020 postseason were canceled, an expanded playoff field for this year and next. And an option for players to opt-out of the 2020 season because of coronavirus concerns. MLB owners have proposed an 82-game schedule and a pay cut for the game’s highest-paid players. Negotiations are expected to pick up this week, as the goal is to start the season in early July.

NBA’s Board of governors is expected to vote on Thursday on a format to restart the season in Orlando. ESPN reports there’s growing support for a plan to bring 22 teams to Disney’s ESPN Wild World of Sports in July. That means the Pelicans will have an opportunity to compete for a postseason spot because the 22-team plan would include teams that are within six games of the final playoff spots in each conference.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is investigating at least 12 schools for allegedly holding summer workouts prior to the June 8th start date. LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine says they were notified about the possible violations by other schools and…
Cut 27 (09) “…the right thing.”
Bonine says possible punishment could be announced next week.

A report by the Athletic says NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has targeted July 31st as a date for a return to play. Silver made that statement in a conference call with NBA owners today. The league office is talking with front offices about what the format should be when the players do get back in the court, should they start the playoffs immediately or have some play-in games to determine the postseason field.

Louisiana Tech football plans to start voluntary workouts on June eighth as the Bulldogs get ready for the 2020 season. Athletic Director Tommy McClelland made that announcement in a zoom call with reporters. McClelland also said its their hope fans will be allowed to attend football games, but no decisions have been made yet…
cut 17 (30) “…very understanding”
McClelland also addressed rumors of a potential merger between Conference USA and the Sun Belt Conference. He says it’s not happening.

There’s been speculation Conference USA and the Sun Belt could merge because of financial difficulties that have emerged as a result of the coronavirus shutdown. But Louisiana Tech A-D Tommy McClelland says there is no discussion within Conference USA to merge with the Sun Belt…
cut 18 (20) “…of interest’
McClelland added that if he was at U-L Lafayette, he would try to figure out a way to move up to a level like Conference USA.

The NBA is still trying to figure out how to resume its season. A survey of general managers reportedly found that 83-percent of them supported a playoff plus format, where 20 or more teams returning to play.

The LHSAA says they are looking into allegations that some schools are holding summer workouts, even though they are not supposed to until June eighth. Executive Director Eddie Bonine says they’ve received time-stamped photos and videos of the practice sessions…
cut 8 (08) “….surveillance”
Bonine says the executive committee meets next week and more details will be released then. Fox 8 Sports is reporting John Curtis and Holy Cross are two of the schools under LHSAA investigation. Both told the New Orleans T-V station said they’ve done nothing wrong and will be cleared.

In NFL news, former Saints cornerback Eli Apple has signed with the Carolina Panthers. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is hopeful coaches will be able to return to team facilities next week. Also, the NFL owners tabled a proposal that would have allowed teams a chance to convert on fourth-and-15 instead of going for an onside kick.

Legislation is heading to the governor’s desk that will ask voters on November 3rd if sports betting should be legalized in their parish. Metairie Senator Cameron Henry says if a parish approves the referendum, then lawmakers will vote next year on the regulation and taxation of sports wagering, which will be controversial
Cut 3 (05) “…should go”
Henry says the ballot question will ask voters if sports wagering activities and operations should be permitted in your parish.

Dates and times for Saints preseason games have been set. The Black and Gold will kick off the preseason in Los Angeles on Friday, August 14th. 9 PM is the start time. The next week, New Orleans travels to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers on a Sunday night. In week three of the preseason, New Orleans hosts Houston on Saturday, August 29th. The Saints conclude the preseason on Thursday night, September third against the Miami Dolphins.

Conference USA and the Sun Belt have announced their bowl lineup for the next six years starting with the 2020 season. The Sun Belt will have five bowl tie-ins, but the New Orleans Bowl will no longer have the first pick. That will go to a bowl game owned and operated by ESPN, such as the Boca Raton Bowl, Cure Bowl and SERVPRO First Responsder Bowl in Dallas.

Conference USA says they will continue to send teams to the Bahamas Bowl and the New Orleans Bowl on an annual basis.

LSU assistant baseball coach Eddie Smith says 21 Tigers will participate in summer leagues this season. Several players will play in the South Florida League, which begins play on June 12th. They are Collier Cranford, Cade Doughty, Alex Milazzo, Cade Beloso, Zach Arnold and Giovanni DiGiacomo.

Northwestern State pitcher Kyle Swanson has been named the Southland Conference Baseball Student-Athlete of the Year. The Texas native graduated with perfect 4.0 GPA in health and human performance and had a 1.04 ERA in seven appearances and four saves in 2020.

We are a step closer to legalized sports betting in Louisiana as the state legislature has given final legislative approval to a measure that would ask voters on the November third ballot if sports wagering should be legal in their parish. Metairie Senator Cameron Henry says if one or more parishes approve the referendum, then next year lawmakers will determine taxation, regulation and where sports bets can be placed…
cut 5 (05) “…next step”
Supporters say sports betting is already happening and if it was legal than the state can tax the activity to generate revenue. Opponents say legal sports betting will produce more problem gamblers, which ends up costing taxpayers.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is investigating ten schools for allegedly holding summer workouts before the June eighth start date. Executive Director Eddie Bonine declined to name the schools, but schools found in violation face fines and their coaches could be suspended.

Dates and times for Saints preseason games have been set and we’ll see if they actually get played. The Black and Gold will kick off the preseason in Los Angeles on Friday, August 14th. 9 PM is the start time. The next week, New Orleans travels to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers on Sunday night. In week three of the preseason, New Orleans hosts Houston on Saturday, August 29th. The Saints conclude the preseason on Thursday night, September third against the Miami Dolphins.

The Sun Belt Conference has announced that the New Orleans Bowl will no longer have the first choice on which team from the Sun Belt will play in their bowl game. Commissioner Keith Gill says a variety of ESPN operated or owned bowl games will get that first selection and the New Orleans Bowl will hold the second selection.

Northwestern State pitcher Kyle Swanson has been named the Southland Conference Baseball Student-Athlete of the Year. The Texas native graduated with perfect 4.0 GPA in health and human performance and had a 1.04 ERA in seven appearances and four saves in 2020.

Dates and times for Saints preseason games have been set and we’ll see if they actually get played. The Black and Gold will kick off the preseason in Los Angeles on Friday, August 14th. 9 PM is the start time. The next week, New Orleans travels to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers on Sunday night. In week three of the preseason, New Orleans hosts Houston on Saturday, August 29th. The Saints conclude the preseason on Thursday night, September third against the Miami Dolphins.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is investigating ten schools that have allegedly started summer workouts before the June eighth start date. The LHSAA says they’ve received reports involving six schools in the New Orleans area, two from the Lafayette area, and two north Louisiana schools. Executive Director Eddie Bonine declined to name the schools, but if they violated this rule, they face fines and the coaches could be suspended.

The NBA continues to discuss how it should finish its season. Dallas Owner Mark Cuban has suggested an expanded playoff format. ESPN reports that Cuban recommends the league should re-start its season with five to seven regular-season games than the top ten teams in each conference would qualify for the playoffs. The teams that qualify for the playoffs with the worst records would have play-in games, before the traditional start of a 16-team NBA postseason featuring the best of seven-game series format.

Today, the Major League Baseball Players Association will reportedly deliver a counterproposal to the owners’ economic plan that called for the top players in the game taking the largest pay cuts. The M-L-B-P-A is disappointed by that offer and they will reportedly recommend no pay cut and playing more than 82 games as the owners have suggested. The belief is a deal needs to be reached soon in order to begin a second spring training in mid-June.

The Saints have reportedly added some depth to their offensive line as they’ve inked 28-year-old James Hurst to a one year deal. The Ravens released Hurst after six seasons in Baltimore. He’s played in 90 games in his NFL career and has made 44 starts at multiple positions on the o-line, except at center. But he’s suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Crescent-City sports-dot-com reports the LHSAA is investigating four New Orleans-area schools for holding summer workouts. The association has said that summer practices can not take place until June eighth and schools who violate this rule could face sanctions. The report did not name the schools that are under investigation.

Tomorrow NFL owners are scheduled to vote on an alternative to the onside kick. The proposal says teams should have the option of trying to convert on fourth and 15 after a score instead of going for an onside kick. In the last two years, less than 10-percent of onside kicks succeeded.

Tulane right-hander Braden Olthoff has been named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. The California native was 4-0 in four starts with a 0.32 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 28 innings. Northwestern State right-hander Logan Hoffman was also named to the second team. The junior from Canada did not allow a run in 28 innings of work and finished with a 4-0 record.

LSU pitchers Devin Fontenot and Jaden Hill were named 2020 third-team All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball. Fontenot was 1-0 with 0.90 ERA and four saves. Hill allowed just one hit in 11.2 innings. Louisiana Tech center fielder Parker Bates was also named a third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. The senior from Tyler, Texas hit .422 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs.

Former LSU basketball player Skylar Mays has been named the H Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year. It’s the highest academic honor an SEC athlete can receive.

The Saints have placed reserve defensive end Noah Spence on the reserve-non-football injury list after he reportedly tore his A-C-L while working out away from the team. Outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo takes Spence’s spot on the active roster. Chickillo comes from Pittsburgh, where he recorded 7.5 sacks for the Steelers in five seasons.

There will be no Manning Passing Academy in 2020 due to COVID-19. The popular football camp for quarterbacks and receivers was scheduled for June 25th to the 28th and normally draws 12-hundred campers to the Nicholls State campus. But Archie Manning says having that many people in a confined area in Lafourche Parish is not a good idea.

Former LSU basketball player Skylar Mays has been named the H Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year. It’s the highest academic honor an SEC athlete can receive. Mays will receive a 20-thousand dollar scholarship that will go towards his post-graduate schooling. Right now he’s preparing for the NBA draft.

The television networks that carry college football games are delaying the release of start times for games that happen in the first three weeks. June 1st was the deadline to let fans and schools when they would play and on what network. A source says the networks are delaying the announcement because the sports calendar is in flux with the possibility of NBA playoff games in September.

No word yet on if LSU will allow fans inside Tiger Stadium this year. LSU interim president Thomas Galligan said on a webinar hosted by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber that it is certainly possible fans will have to wear masks at football games…
cut 9 (10) “….stay tuned”

The Major League Baseball Players Association says they are disappointed with M-L-B’s proposal that calls for the higher paid players to take big pay cuts in order to start the season. Owners claim they will lose billions of dollars by having games this season with no fans.

The 2020 Manning Passing Camp scheduled for the last weekend in June at Nicholls State has been canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Manning family says they will be back next year, where they hope to welcome 12-hundred campers and over 200 coaches, trainers, and support staff. Pro and college football analyst Mike Detillier says it’s an economic loss for the area and many young football players will lose out on a great experience. He says most of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL have attended as a camper or a counselor and the camp is not just for QBs…
cut 14 (10) “…been here”

Usually we find out by June first, which networks will televise and what the game times will be for the first three weeks of the college football season. But a joint statement today that they are delaying an announcement on early college football season game times.

LSU interim president Thomas Galligan said today if fans are allowed in Tiger Stadium for football games this season, it’s possible they will have to wear masks. Also, Galligan says the school is looking into canceling fall break, in order to minimize students coming and going from Baton Rouge. The school has yet to release formal plans on having students back on campus.

Yahoo Sports reports it’s possible NFL teams could hold minicamps with players as early as June 15th or as late as June 27th. But any reopening plan would have to be approved by the players association.

The NBA continues to discuss a resumption of its suspensed season. It’s likely the season will continue at Disney World in Orlando in late July. But a format has yet to be decided. There’s been talk of just resuming the season with the start of the playoffs, which means the Pelicans season will be over. Or the NBA is also looking at dividing 20 teams into groups and then have a World Cup style pool play to find out who gets in the postseason.