The Pelicans have announced that rookie Zion Williamson has left the NBA bubble in Walt Disney World to attend to an urgent family medical matter. Team officials say Williamson is expected to return to Orlando for the NBA restart at a later date. Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin says out of respect for the Williamson family, they have no further comment at this time.

LSU men’s basketball has lost out on getting a five star recruit out of Memphis. Six-foot-eleven Moussa Cisse had LSU as one of five finalists, but he has decided to sign with the University of memphis. He averaged 18 points, 15 rebounds and nine blocks per game during his senior season in high school.

LSU football coach Ed Orgeron was a guest on Fox News Wednesday and said he thinks there will be a football season this fall, but some adjustments will be needed. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey says SEC football programs reported single digit to zero cases last week, but he has also said there needs to be a change in public health.

Former LSU star and Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu says he will pay for the funeral of a nine-year-old who was fatally shot in the seventh ward on Monday. Devante Bryant was one of three people shot and police are still looking for a suspect. Mathieu says he wanted to help the Bryant family because he’s from the seventh ward and has a seven-year-old living in New Orleans and could not imagine something hapening to him at that age.

The man convicted of killing former John Curtis Star Joe McKnight will receive a new trial. Ronald Gasser was convicted of manslaughter in the 2016 shooting of McKnight. Gasser receives a new trial because of a U-S Supreme Court ruling that says jury verdicts of serious crimes should be unanimous. 10 of 12 jurors agreed to convict Gasser of manslauther. He was then sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Louisiana Tech athletics director Tommy McClelland says construction on a new baseball stadium is on time, but they are little behind on the new soccer and softball stadiums.

Guard Jrue Holiday has been a leader for the Pelicans and he’s also a leader in the social justice movement. Holiday and his wife Lauren have created the Holiday Social Justice Impact Fund. Holiday says he’s using the rest of his salary for this season, an estimated five-point-three-million dollars to start the fund. He says the money will benefit the black communities in New Orleans, Indiana and his hometown of Los Angeles.

A five-star high school basketball prospect has committed to Memphis over LSU. At one time six-foot-ten Moussa Cisse was a strong lean to LSU, but the nation’s second-rated center has decided he’d rather play for the Tigers in Memphis. Despite missing out on Cisse, LSU’s incoming recruiting class is ranked as the sixth-best in the country.

LSU men’s basketball also has to find another non-conference opponent. That’s because the Tigers were scheduled to play Yale on November 21st, but Ivy League schools are not competing in sports during the fall semester.

The Saints are scheduled to play the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 13th, but if the game is played there will be no fans in the stands. Philadelphia city officials are not allowing any fans to attend professional sporting events this year because of COVID-19.

Central Arkansas leads the Southland Conference with the most players on the Southland Conference preseason all-conference teams. The Bears have 13 players on the first and second teams. The two-time defending champion Nicholls State has eight players on the Preseason All-Southland Team. Five of the selections were on the first team, including running back Julien Gums, wide receiver Dai’Jean Dixon, safety Kevin Moore the third and offensive linemen P-J Burkhalter and Jair Joseph. Southeastern Louisiana has two first-team selections, linebacker Alexis Ramos and defensive back Ferlando Jordan.

Ragin Cajuns running backs Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas are on the Doak Walker Preseason Watch List, which goes to the nation’s top running back. Louisiana Tech’s Justin Henderson is also on that list.

Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday says he’s donating the rest of his game checks for this season to create a social justice fund that will benefit communities in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Indianapolis. Holiday is due an estimated five million dollars and the veteran said on ESPN’s “The Jump” that it was his wife who came up with the idea. Holiday also says the Holiday Social Justice Impact Fund will support Black colleges and universities.

The Saints are scheduled to play the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 13th, but if the game is played there will be no fans in the stands. Philadelphia city officials are not allowing any fans to attend professional sporting events this year because of COVID-19.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will play under the franchise tag in 2020 as Dallas and Prescott did not agree to a longterm deal before this afternoon’s deadline. Prescott will make 31-million dollars if there are 16 games this season.

Ruston High running back Ke’Travion Bull Hargrove has de-committed from the Bulldogs. Hargrove committed to La Tech over two months ago, but since then he’s received offers from Power Five schools like South Carolina, Florida State, and Penn State.

The two-time defending champion Nicholls State football team has eight players on the 2020 Preseason All-Southland Team. Five of the selections were on the first team, including running back Julien Gums, wide receiver Dai’Jean Dixon, safety Kevin Moore the third and offensive linemen P-J Burkhalter and Jair Joseph. McNeese wide receiver Cyron Sutton also made the first team. Southeastern Louisiana has two first-team selections, linebacker Alexis Ramos and defensive back Ferlando Jordan. Northwestern State linebacker Ja’Quay Pough is also on the first team.

Ragin Cajuns running backs Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas are on the Doak Walker Preseason Watch List, which goes to the nation’s top running back. Louisiana Tech’s Justin Henderson is also on that list.

LSU football coach Ed Orgeron was part of the roundtable discussion that involved Vice President Mike Pence, U-S Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Governor John Bel Edwards at LSU’s Tiger Stadium yesterday. Orgeron told the group that included higher ed leaders that we need football and Pence agrees with that sentiment…
cut 13 (12) “…love football”
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey has said that the league will make a decision in late July on what may occur with the football season. Sankey is concerned about the rising number of coronavirus cases.

The S-E-C has decided to postpone all athletic events for volleyball, soccer, and cross country until at least September 1st. The A-C-C made a similar decision last week.

Former LSU Tiger linebacker Marcel Brooks is reportedly transferring to T-C-U. Brooks contributed to the Tigers national championship as a freshman recording eight tackles and 1.5 sacks in limited playing time. Brooks reportedly expressed a desire to play at a school closer to his home.

Louisiana Tech football has resumed its offseason workouts. They were suspended last week when a second player tested positive for COVID-19. A Tech spokesperson said the school wanted to be overly cautious.

Meanwhile, Ruston High running back Ke’Travion Bull Hargrove has de-committed from the Bulldogs. Hargrove committed to La Tech over two months ago, but since then he’s received offers from Power Five schools like South Carolina, Florida State, and Penn State.

Longtime Ragin Cajuns baseball coach Tony Robichaux will be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association of Hall of Fame in January. The class also includes former Southern Coach Roger Cador and former Rice Coach Wayne Graham.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has approved a set of minimum standards public schools are expected to follow to safely reopen. The standards include face mask requirements for teachers and students in third grade and up. Matt Doyle reports school districts that refuse to implement BESE’s minimum requirements for reopening like the mask mandate could get sued…
cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Terrebonne, St. Tammany, and the Caddo Parish school systems are a few of the school districts that have decided to delay the start of the school year.

Vice President Mike Pence stressed the importance of getting kids back in the classroom during his visit to Baton Rouge yesterday…
cut 11 (12) “…on campuses”
Pence made the comments at LSU’s Tiger Stadium after participating in a roundtable discussion with Governor Edwards, U-S Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Louisiana higher ed leaders, and Tigers coach Ed Orgeron.

Are you tired of the extreme heat? State Climatologist Barry Keim says we’ll start to see a bit of a break for the southern half of the state as the heatwave lets up a little bit…
cut 15 (12) “….half a notch”
The northern half of the state remains under a heat advisory today.

The SEC has made the decision to postpone the start of volleyball, cross country, and soccer seasons until at least September 1st. That means these sports can not play any exhibition or non-conference game in August. LSU Athletics Director Scott Woodward says this decision was made in the interest of the health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches and staff. Any decision on the football season is expected to come in late July. The league’s athletic directors met yesterday to go over contingency plans.

ULM is awaiting what the SEC decides to do. That’s because the Warhawks are set to play at Georgia on September 26 and Arkansas on November 21st.

Louisiana Tech football has resumed its offseason workouts. They were suspended last week when a second player tested positive for COVID-19. A Tech spokesperson said the school wanted to be overly cautious.

LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine says in order for high school football games to be played, the state has to reach Phase Four of its reopening. 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. And Bonine says if some athletic events are able to proceed, they might do so without fans, but that creates other problems…
cut 18 (12) “….the gate”
Bonine there’s been discussion about flipping spring and fall sports so that a contact sport like football could possibly be played in the spring. He says that’s not their first option though. Football practice is set to begin in a month.

After a day-long in-person meeting with the 14 SEC athletic directors, Commissioner Greg Sankey says a decision will be made in late July on what will happen with the football season. Sankey says in order for teams to take the field the circumstances related to COVID-19 must improve. LSU Athletics Director Scott Woodward called the meeting productive and he says there’s still time for things to improve in order to begin the season on Labor Day Weekend.

Three LSU Tigers are on the Bednarik Watch list which goes to the nation’s Defensive Player of the Year. The three players are safety JaCoby Stevens, cornerback Derek Stingley, and linebacker Jabril Cox.

The Patriot League has joined the Ivy League in canceling fall sports and will consider playing football in the winter or spring. The National Junior College Athletic Association says it will not have a fall season and the N-J–C-A-A hopes to play football in the spring.

For high school football games to happen this fall, the state has to be in phase 4 of its reopening, but the state is currently stuck in phase two, after reporting 17-hundred new cases on Monday. LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine appeared before the House Education Committee yesterday and was asked about the potential of flipping spring and fall sports, so football can be played in 2021…
cut 17 (10) “…presently”
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.

Fox Sports New Orleans says they will televise all eight of the Pelicans seeding games when the season resumes on July 30th against Utah.

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
Cut 17 (23) “…works out”
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…
Cut 18 (23) “…high level”
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
cut 9 (08) “…health”
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
Cut 16 (24) “…it’s fine”
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.