The Southeastern Conference announces SEC Media Days will be conducted virtually for the first time ever. Commissioner Greg Sankey says a virtual format will provide an opportunity to manage the event in a healthy manner because of COVID-19. The virtual event will feature Sankey’s annual “State of the SEC ” address as well as media sessions with the conference’s 14 head coaches and select student-athletes from each school. The conference says the SEC Network will provide wall-to-wall coverage. The dates and times for the SEC Virtual Media Days have not been announced yet.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Spike Lee was the guest speaker for the Saints’ team Zoom call yesterday. Schefter says Lee complimented Drew Brees for standing up to President Trump when he said Brees should not have taken back his opposition to kneeling during the national anthem. Lee also spoke for 45 minutes about his experience in race relations. One person on the call said the players loved it.

Tonight is the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft, which is just five rounds this year. In previous years, the draft has been 40 rounds. D-1 Baseball-dot-com draft expert Kendall Rogers expects LSU players Cole Henry and Daniel Cabrera will be selected in one of the five rounds. Rogers believes Henry is the better prospect…
Cut 16 (22) love his makeup”
The draft gets underway at six PM tonight on ESPN and the M-L-B Network.

Major League Soccer says it will return on July eighth. They will begin competition with what they are calling M-L-S is Back Tournament with all 26 competing at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.

Tonight is the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft as LSU players Daniel Cabrera and Cole Henry are expected to be selected in the five-round draft. The high school Gatorade Player of the Year in Louisiana Brody Drost could also get drafted in the third or fourth round. The former Barbe standout is a left-hander pitcher and he can play in the outfield. Kendall Rogers with D-1 Baseball-dot-com says Drost is also committed to LSU, so does he want to play pro ball or go to school???
cut 18 (13) “…quickly”
Usually, the Major League Baseball Draft is 40 rounds, but this year only 160 players will get picked, compared to the 1,217 that were selected last year. Undrafted players could sign with a professional team for a maximum signing bonus of 20-thousand dollars.

The LSU football team began summer workouts yesterday, but also they held a team meeting to discuss the current civil unrest that’s come in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. The LSU football program has established a leadership council made up of coaches and players that will develop solutions to combat racism.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Spike Lee was the guest speaker for yesterday’s Saints’ team Zoom call. Schefter says Lee complimented Drew Brees for how he stood up to President Trump and then spoke for 45 minutes about his experience in race relations. One person on the call said the players loved it.

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas has teamed up with R-I-P Medical Dept to wipe out about two-point-three million dollars worth of medical debt for economically-challenged families in the greater New Orleans area.

Former Saints running back Reggie Bush will reportedly be welcomed back to the U-S-C family. Bush has been disassociated from the school since the Trojans were hit with numerous sanctions, including a two-year postseason ban because NCAA investigators found Bush and his family accepted cash, travel expenses and a home while he was a student-athlete.

Voluntary workouts began for the LSU football team today after spending the last eleven weeks away from the school’s weight room. LSU strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffit says only 20 players are allowed in the weight room at one time and they are using state of the art sanitation and disinfectant equipment…
cut 18 (30) “….this facility”
Coach Ed Orgeron also allowed the players to use today to register to vote.

Former LSU pitcher Eric Walker has announced he’s transferring to Oklahoma State. The right-hander from Arlington, Texas had a great freshman season but never returned to form after Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm. He entered the NCAA transfer portal in mid-April. Former LSU pitcher Chase Costello has also announced he’s transferring to Stetson.

A five-round Major League Baseball Draft begins tomorrow. LSU players Daniel Cabrera and Cole Henry will probably not go in the first round, but they are expected to be drafted. Barbe’s Brody Drost is an LSU signee that could also get drafted. Dorst is a left-hander pitcher and outfielder and could be selected in the third or fourth round.

NASCAR announced today that it will have fans watching from the stands for Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. But it will be a small group. Up to one-thousand South Florida service members will be allowed inside the track. The following Sunday at Talladega, five-thousand guests will be able sit in the grandstands and towers.

The LSU Football team returned to its state of the art weight room today as the Tigers offseason summer conditioning program got underway now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. LSU Strength and Conditioning Coach Tommy Moffitt says there will be different groups of players in the weight room until the middle of the afternoon. He says most of their student-athletes will also take summer online classes…
Cut 17 (25) “…player led practices”
The NCAA will reportedly consider a six-week practice plan for schools that would allow teams to have mandatory meetings with players and walk-throughs starting in mid-July. Coaches reportedly support the plan.

Major League Baseball continues to alienate its fan base. M-L-B offered players a return to play proposal that calls for a 76-game regular season and expanded playoffs, but the owners are asking the players to accept 75-percent of their prorated salaries. Players continue to say they are not taking any further salary reductions beyond what they agreed to in March. So it doesn’t seem the two sides are any closer to a deal.

Former LSU pitcher Eric Walker has announced he’s transferring to Oklahoma State. The right-hander from Arlington, Texas had a great freshman season but never returned to form after Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm. He entered the NCAA transfer portal in mid-April. Former LSU pitcher Chase Costello has also announced he’s transferring to Stetson.

A five-round Major League Baseball Draft begins. LSU players Daniel Cabrera and Cole Henry will probably not go in the first round, but they are expected to be drafted. Barbe’s Brody Drost is an LSU signee that could also get drafted.

LSU football begins offseason workouts today as the national champs can lift weights and perform conditioning drills on campus for the first time since spring practice was halted in March. LSU strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffit says about 85-percent of the players stayed in great shape. He says over the next two weeks they’ll do three days a week of hard training and two days of functional training on specific muscle groups
Cut 16 (16) groups differently”

NFL players will not be allowed inside team training facilities until training camp starts next month. The NFL has sent a memo to teams asking them to reconfigure their locker room space so that lockers are six feet apart.

Major League Baseball continues to alienate its fan base. M-L-B offered players a return to play proposal that calls for a 76-game regular season and expanded playoffs, but the owners are asking the players to accept 75-percent of their prorated salaries. Players continue to say they are not taking any further salary reductions beyond what they agreed to in March. So it doesn’t seem the two sides are any closer to a deal.

Former LSU pitcher Eric Walker has announced he’s transferring to Oklahoma State. The right-hander from Arlington, Texas had a great freshman season but never returned to form after Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm. He entered the NCAA transfer portal in mid-April.

When the NBA season resumes in Orlando on July 31st, the Pelicans will battle Memphis, Portland, Sacramento, and San Antonio for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. But the Spurs will not have forward LaMarcus Aldridge. He will miss the remainder of the season after having surgery on his right shoulder.

LSU football will begin its voluntary workout program tomorrow. When players arrived on campus last week they took an antibody test. Senior associate athletic trainer Shelly Mullenix says a positive antibody test will warrant a PCR test. Mullenix says if any player tests positive for the coronavirus, a doctor will determine if that person needs to go to the hospital or self isolate in a dorm room…
cut 14 (05) “….the spread”
Mullenix says they will not administer daily coronavirus tests, instead, players will have daily temperature checks and they’ll also monitor for symptoms.

The NFL has sent a memo to every team describing what needs to be done in order to open practice facilities completely to players. A couple of interesting notes, any meeting with more than 20 people must be conducted virtually and locker rooms need to be modified so that each locker is six feet apart.

Basketball star Shaquille O’ Neal said he told the Saints players not to allow the media to divide them based on Drew Brees’ national anthem comments. Shaq who spoke to the Saints during a virtual meeting last Thursday told Peter King that media divided the Lakers in the early 2000s and it led to a break up between O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Edna Karr is mourning the loss of its first varsity head football coach Don Wattigny, who passed away Saturday at his home at the age of 81. He led the Cougars to their first state championship in football in 1993. Edna Karr also won 3A titles in 1995 and 1997. Wattigny retired after the 2002 season.

Major League Baseball Owners proposed a 76-game season to the players today, but the proposal includes a 75-percent prorated salary for players. Players are seeking to be paid fully for the games they play in.

And it was 24 years ago today that Warren Morris hit his legendary home run as LSU defeated Miami for its third national championship football.

Today was supposed to be the first day of summer workouts for the LSU football team and prep teams, but LSU closed its campus today because of Tropical Storm Cristobal. Several high schools, especially in southeast Louisiana also thought it would be a good idea to postpone the start of summer workouts for one more day.

Former legendary Edna Karr football coach Don Wattigny has passed away at the age of 81. Wattigny led the Cougars to state football titles in 1993, 1995 and 1997, before retiring after the 2002 season. That first title team was led by former NFL player Patrick Surtain.

LSU men’s basketball player Courtese Cooper has been suspended indefinitely after he was arrested near his hometown in Illinois and charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance. The 21-year-old Cooper played in just eleven games last season.

Kevin Harvick won for the second time yesterday since NASCAR resumed racing after the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Harvick lead for the final 55 laps and cruised to a win over Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Junior at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Its Busch’s third win in Atlanta and first since 2018 at a track he says he loves to race at. Harvick and several other drivers have also produced a video promising to push changes to help bring the country together.

Can Major League Baseball return to the field this year? M-L-B owners will reportedly hold a conference call to discuss plans. Owners have proposed a 50-game season, but the players’ last proposal called for a 114-game season. The big dispute is over how much players should get paid.

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has announced his retirement for the third time in four years. The 31-year-old has been the sports biggest star and biggest financial draw.

If you go to Drew Brees’ Instagram page, you’ll find an emotional apology for his comments on Wednesday when he said he’ll never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag.
cut 5 (07) “…ally”
ESPN reports the Saints had a virtual team meeting yesterday to discuss Brees’ comments and punter Thomas Morstead described it as a vulnerable conversation. An unidentified Saints player said it got real in the discussion, another said we love Drew threw it all. We still haven’t heard from Malcom Jenkins who told Brees to shut up.

During a virtual town hall meeting hosted by the Advocate, athletics director Scott Woodward said he’s optimistic fans will be inside Tiger Stadium this fall. But a final decision will not come until next month. Woodward also said they are talking with Michigan about a non-conference matchup. And Woodward said he’d love to play Tulane, but the Green Wave wants a home-and-home and that doesn’t make much sense for LSU.
According to the NBA return to play plan, the Pelicans and 21 other teams will report on June 30th for a training camp and they’ll leave on July seventh for Orlando. The regular season would resume on July 31st. Locked on Pelicans podcast host Jake Madison says this will give players plenty of time to get back in game shape…
cut 17 (17) “…could see”
Eight regular season games will be played and there are six teams including the Pelicans battling for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

ESPN college basketball anlayst Dick Vitale went on a Baton Rouge radio show this morning and stood by his tweet that said the NCAA will soon inform LSU they’re investigating the men’s basketball program. But Vitale is not saying what allegations are being made against Will Wade’s program.

Oklahoma State men’s basketball received a one-year postseason ban today because a former associate head coach accepted bribes to influence student-athletes to certain agents and financial advisers.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees has now issued two apologies on Instagram for the comments he made about players protesting the anthem. Brees says they lacked awareness and compassion and were hurtful for black people to hear…
cut 30 (10) “…my intention”
Brees says there’s a big need for reform to end social injustice and he wants to be part of the solution.

NFL coaches are allowed back in their team facilities today. But uninjured players are still not allowed inside. That will probably continue until training camps open up next week.

Florida A-and-M is leaving the MEAC and will join the SWAC in 2021.

Louisiana Tech has announced a home-and-home football series with South Alabama. The Bulldogs will play in Mobile in 2022 and the Jaguars will return the trip to Ruston in 2027.

The New Orleans Pelicans are part of the NBA’s 22-team return to play plan and will have a chance to make the 16-team postseason. The Pels and the rest of the league will resume the season on July 31st in Orlando. Every team will play eight regular-season games.

The Pelicans are tied for 10th place in the Western Conference, 3.5 games back of Memphis who has the final playoff spot in the West. Jake Madison, the host of the Locked on Pelicans Podcast, expects New Orleans will play Memphis twice during the final eight regular-season games…
cut 18 (20) “…Pelicans schedule”
All of the games will be played at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando.

One day after saying he can not support players who take a knee during the national anthem, Saints Quarterback Drew Brees apologized today with a lengthy post on Instagram. Brees admits his comments were insensitive and he completely missed the mark. Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas disagreed with what Brees had to say yesterday but went on Twitter today and said he accepts Brees’ apology and now it’s back to the movement.

Today, the NBA Board of Governors approved a 22-team format to resume the 2019-20 season. The Pelicans and 21 other teams will play eight regular season games in Orlando starting on July 31st. A training camp for the 22 teams will start on June 30th and then the teams will travel the bubble site in Orlando on July seventh. So what about the rest of the NBA calendar, the NBA draft lottery will be August 25th, the NBA draft will be October 15th and the 2020-21 regular season will begin December 1st.

LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says they have video evidence and pictures of four football teams holding summer workouts before the June eighth start date. Bonine made the comments during the Association’s executive committee meeting. He says the investigation into the practice violations continues. He says they received reports on 17 different football teams violating the practice ban.

ESPN Basketball commentator Dick Vitale says LSU will soon receive a notice of allegations pertaining to its men’s basketball program. Vitale first reported that LSU has received the notice, but sent another tweet an hour later clarifying that LSU basketball will receive a written report soon.

LSU baseball has received some news on the recruiting front as Dylan Crews is taking his name out of consideration for the Major League Baseball Draft and will play for the Tigers in 2021. Crews is from Longwood, Florida and is ranked as a top 50 prospect and considered one of the best high school hitters in the class of 2020.