Big news for the Independence Bowl as they have reached an agreement with Radiance Technologies who will serve as the title sponsor for the football game for the next five years. Radiance Technologies is a contractor that provides cybersecurity, systems engineering and integration to the Department of Defense, national intelligence community and other government agencies.

Saints Coach Sean Payton has donated his plasma so that it can be used to treat hospital patients who are trying to fight off COVID-19. Payton tested positive for the coronavirus on March 19th and suffered from a low-grade fever, body aches, and chills. He never had respiratory symptoms. Some doctors are using convalescent plasma to treat coronavirus patients because their antibodies in the plasma can help fight off the virus.

ESPN reports the NFL tested its virtual draft on Monday and there was a minor hiccup at the start, but everything went smoothly after a two-and-a-half minute delay.

LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade said on the LSU Sports Radio Network they are only one more big body away from being an elite team next season. The Tigers have signed seven new players, including five-star shooting guard Cam Thomas and UCLA transfer Shareef O’ Neal, the son of former LSU great Shaquille O’ Neal. Wade says starting forwards Trendon Watford and Darius Days have put their names in the draft, but can return. Wade says they have a pretty good idea of what they will do.

Tim Floyd told ESPN Radio in Baton Rouge the Chicago Bulls were interested in hiring him as their head coach after Michael Jordan and Company just completed a record 72-win regular season and the franchise’s fourth NBA championship. Floyd eventually became the Bulls head coach after Chicago completed its second three-peat.

In a memorandum to baseball operations employees around the game, commissioner Rob Manfred said he fully anticipates baseball will return this summer, but difficult to say when they’ll resume the season.

Saints Coach Sean Payton has donated his plasma so that it can be used to treat hospital patients who are trying to fight off COVID-19. Payton tested positive for the coronavirus on March 19th and suffered from a low-grade fever, body aches, and chills. He never had respiratory symptoms. Some doctors are using convalescent plasma to treat coronavirus patients because their antibodies in the plasma can help fight off the virus.

Former Saints tight end Mark Campbell tells WWL radio that he spent 17 days battling COVID-19. He says his condition did not improve until he took a drug that is commonly used to treat malaria.

ESPN reports The N-F-L tested out its virtual draft on Monday and there was a hiccup early, resulted in a two-and-a-half-minute delay for the Bengals to make the first pick. But Broncos president of football operations John Elway says after that delay, the rest of the draft went smooth.

LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade said on the LSU Sports Radio Network that they are only more big body away from being an elite team next season. The Tigers have signed seven new players, including five-star shooting guard Cam Thomas and UCLA transfer Shareef O’ Neal, the son of former LSU great Shaquille O’ Neal. Wade says starting forwards Trendon Watford and Darius Days have put their names in the draft, but can return. Wade says they have a pretty good idea of what they will do.

Former Riverside standout Jared Bulter has decided to put his name into the NBA draft pool. The six-foot-three, All-Big 12 guard averaged 16 points a game last season for Baylor.

Tim Floyd told ESPN Baton Rouge the Chicago Bulls were interested in hiring him as their head coach after Michael Jordan and Company justed completed a 72-win regular season and the franchise’s fourth NBA championship. Floyd eventually became the Bulls head coach after Chicago completed its second three-peat. But Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman were gone by then.

The N-F-L draft gets underway Thursday and the Saints have the 24th pick in the first round. Many mock drafts have New Orleans selecting Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Mike Triplett covers the Black and Gold for ESPN and says Murray and LSU’s Patrick Queen would bring more athleticism to that position…
cut 18 (24) “….the draft”

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas says they would like to sign former LSU Tiger Jamal Adams to a long term deal, but until that happens they’ll listen to trade offers. The All-Pro safety has two years left on his deal.

The expectation is for Cincinnati to take Joe Burrow with the first pick in Thursday night’s NFL draft. Former NFL great Peyton Manning told ESPN he recently spoke to Burrow and Manning warned Burrow his rookie season could be a rough one, but the future Hall of Famer said he learned a lot while taking those lumps. Manning’s Colts went from 3-and-13 in his rookie season to 13-and-3 the next year.

LSU men’s basketball reportedly receives a commitment from seven-foot center Josh Gray from Connecticut. If he signs, he’ll join an eight-man recruiting class that already features three members that are six-foot-eight or taller. Gray is listed as a three-star prospect who averaged 10 points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots a game.

The Ragin Cajuns have reportedly received a verbal pledge from six-foot-six guard Devin Butts from Macon, Georgia. He played in six games last season for Mississippi State. He’ll have to sit out next season, unless the NCAA changes its rules to allow for immediate eligibility. A vote on that is expected soon. Butts averaged 28 points a game at Stratford Academy as a senior.

The NFL draft is this week as the Saints have the 24th pick in the first round on Thursday night. Mike Triplett covers the Black and Gold for ESPN and says New Orleans is in position to take the best player available
Cut 16 (18) “…player’s grade”
Many mock drafts have New Orleans selecting Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Triplett says Murray and LSU’s Patrick Queen would bring more athleticism to that position.

The Jaguars are reportedly looking to trade former LSU running back Leonard Fournette, who still has two years left on his contract. Fournette rushed for a career-high 1,152 yards and caught a team-high 76 passes last season.

The expectation is for Cincinnati to take Joe Burrow with the first pick in Thursday night’s NFL draft. Former NFL great Peyton Manning told ESPN he recently spoke to Burrow and Manning warned Burrow his rookie season could be a rough one, but the future Hall of Famer said he learned a lot while taking those lumps. Manning’s Colts went from 3-and-13 in his rookie season to 13-and-3 the next year.

Manning donated one-thousand meals for COVID-19 healthcare workers in the New Orleans area on Saturday. Drago’s Seafood Restaurant in Metairie prepared the meals. Healthcare workers at the Ochsner Hospital System, Tulane and East Jefferson General hospitals received the meals.

LSU men’s basketball has reportedly received a commitment from seven-foot center Josh Gray from Connecticut. If he signs, he’ll join an eight-man recruiting class that already features three members that are six-foot-eight or taller. Gray is listed as a three-star prospect who averaged 10 points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots a game.

President Donald Trump has issued guidelines on how to reopen the economy and that includes bringing sports back. The President says when sports return, fans will not be allowed inside the arena or stadium at first…
cut 30 (19) “…to be”
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was a guest on CNN yesterday and said she understands the NFL is looking at its options, but she thinks no fans inside the Superdome is the best way to go.

ESPN reports the NFL plans to release its 16-game schedule on May ninth, but the schedule is being done to allow for flexibility. The Washington Post reports the league could close off stadiums to fans or let a certain percentage in.

President Donald Trump has issued guidelines on how to reopen the economy and that includes bringing sports back. The President says when sports return, fans will not be allowed inside the arena or stadium at first…
cut 30 (19) “…to be”
The P-G-A Tour is the first major U-S sport to announce a return. The Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas will be the first event and it will run from June 11th to the 14th. The P-G-A tour plans to have an event every weekend after that, except for Thanksgiving, until December sixth.

Jazz point guard Mike Conley defeated Bulls guard Zach Lavine in the NBA’s first HORSE competition.

The Saints have announced the re-signing of running back Dwayne Washington. He’s been with the team since 2018 and was the Saints third string running back last season, but played a lot on special teams.

The Browns say the reports that they are looking to trade wide receiver Odell Beckham Junior are false. A report came out on Wednesday that discussed a potential deal between Cleveland and Minnesota involving the former LSU star.

The daughter of former NBA star and LSU legend Shaquille O” Neal has committed to play basketball for the Lady Tigers. Amirah O’ Neal is from Crossroads High School in Santa Monica, California. Her brother, Shareef, just signed with the men’s basketball team, transferring in from UCLA.

The Ragin Cajuns have added six-foot-eleven Theo Akwuba (ah-KOO-buh) to their roster. He’s a transfer from Portland who has two years of eligibility remaining. The Montgomery, Alabama native played in 52 games at Portland, started 26 games as a freshman and finished second in the West Coast Conference in blocked shots.

On the first day of the spring signing period, LSU basketball signed three players, including the son of LSU basketball great Shaquille O’ Neal. Six-foot-nine forward Shareef O’ Neal is transferring in from U-C-L-A. The Tigers have also signed six-foot-six strong forward Mwain Wilkinson from Las Vegas and six-foot-three guard Eric Gaines of Georiga. 24-7 sports ranks LSU’s incoming recruiting class as the fifth-best in the country.

A week from today is the first round of the N-F-L draft. The Saints have the 24th pick. It’s possible former LSU Tigers Patrick Queen and Justin Jefferson could available for New Orleans to take. They do need wide receivers and linebackers. Several mock drafts have the Saints selecting Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Murray started 42 games for the Sooners and recorded 37 tackles for a loss in three seasons at O-U.

Four members of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation have been appointed to the President’s Task Force on Reopening the Economy. Getting live sports back in our lives is part of that effort. Congressman Steve Scalise is on the Task Force…
cut 30 (30) “…spread before”
Congressmen Mike Johnson and Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy are also on the task force.

Families struggling to put food on the table can go to Cajun Field in Lafayette tomorrow. Second Harvest Food Bank and United Way of Acadiana are setting up a drive-thru food distribution site from two to four PM.

Governor John Bel Edwards says it’s too early to say what kind of impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on football in the fall as he points out, it’s still mid-April. Edwards speculates that if there are college football and Saints games, the stadiums will not be full…
cut 12 (11) “…checked”
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is recommending no large events in the Crescent City for the rest of 2020, but a Saints spokesperson says it’s planning for games to be played and added it’s too important for the city.

Commissioners for the major college football conferences told Vice President Mike Pence that NCAA sporting events cannot return if campuses remain closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says the V-P expressed a hopeful and optimistic tone.

A week from today is the first round of the N-F-L draft. The Saints have the 24th pick. It’s possible former LSU Tigers Patrick Queen and Justin Jefferson could available for New Orleans to take. They do need wide receivers and linebackers. Several mock drafts have the Saints selecting Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Murray started 42 games for the Sooners and recorded 37 tackles for a loss in three seasons at O-U.

On the first day of the spring signing period, LSU basketball signed three players, including the son of LSU basketball great Shaquille O’ Neal. Six-foot-nine forward Shareef O’ Neal is transferring in from U-C-L-A. The Tigers have also signed six-foot-six strong forward Mwain Wilkinson from Las Vegas and six-foot-three guard Eric Gaines of Georiga. 24-7 sports ranks LSU’s incoming recruiting class as the fifth-best in the country.

And the P-G-A is looking at returning to competition in May or June, with no fans.

ESPN’s Chris Fowler says there will be severe challenges to start the college football season in September. Fowler says if universities do not allow students back in the fall, then there will be no football games with fans in 2020. Fowler says based on the people he’s talking to, a college football season in spring 2021 makes more sense…
cut 30 (12) “….fall back position”
Vice President Mike Pence held a conference call with the College Football Playoff management committee this morning. C-F-P executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN that he didn’t think the V-P understood the level of difference between college and the pros. Hancock says colleges can’t quarantine athletes like pro teams might be able to. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick called it a productive call.

The country’s infectious disease expert said today that professional sports could return this summer if the games are played in empty stadiums and teams are strictly quarantined in large hotels in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Doctor Anthony Fauci says weekly testing will also have to occur.

Saints spokesperson Greg Bensel said in a statement that the NFL franchise in New Orleans is preparing to play this season and working with healthcare professionals is part of that planning. Bensel released the statement after New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell recommended no large gatherings or festivals in the city in 2020.

The son of legendary LSU basketball player Shaquille O’ Neal is officially an LSU Tiger. Shareef O’Neal’s paperwork arrived at LSU today as he’s transferring in from U-C-L-A. Shareef O’ Neal announced in January that he’s leaving the Bruin program after averaging just two points and three rebounds during his redshirt freshman season. He averaged 28 points and 17 rebounds during his senior year in high school in Santa Monica, California.

ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler says the idea of a college football season starting in the spring, instead of September is gaining momentum. Fowler used Instagram to inform fans of what he’s hearing. Fowler brought up the possibility of pushing the season back to November, but that might not work either…
cut 30 (10) “…disastrous”
Fowler says if the season started in February, there’s a chance testing will have come a long by then and perhaps we are closer to a vaccine.

The country’s infectious disease expert said today that professional sports could return this summer if the games are played in empty stadiums and teams are strictly quarantined in large hotels in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Doctor Anthony Fauci says weekly testing will also have to occur.

Saints spokesperson Greg Bensel said in a statement that the NFL franchise in New Orleans is preparing to play this season and they are being very proactive in working with healthcare professionals so that when they do play, the health and safety of fans, staff, players and coaches is a top priority. Bensel released the statement after New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell recommended no large gatherings or festivals in the city in 2020.

Conference USA, the Sun Belt, and American Atheltic Conference are among five major football conference commissioners asking the NCAA to relax requirements to compete in Division One. The NCAA requires Division One schools to compete in at least 16 varsity sports, but there are some schools because of finances who have already made the decision to drop certain sports programs.

24-7 sports has updated its list of the top football players in Louisiana for the Class of 2021. Terrebonne defensive tackle Mason Smith is ranked number one, followed by Lafayette Christian’s Sage Ryan.