Former NFL star and member of the Saints Super Bowl team Darren Sharper was sentenced to 18 years in prison today after pleading guilty to drugging and raping women. Before the sentencing was handed down, Sharper said he apologizes a thousand times to the victims and doesn’t know why he lived his life right for 38 years and then took this path. Originally, Sharper had worked out an agreement with prosecutors that would have led to a nine-year prison sentence, but the judge rejected it because it was too lenient.

The 2016 Saints are practicing against the Texans, leading up to Saturday night’s preseason game in Houston. Three Saints players had to be carted off the field during today’s morning practice, offensive tackle Zach Streif, and cornerbacks PJ Williams and Delvin Breaux.

About 15 LSU players spent Wednesday helping out the mother-in-law of former LSU pitcher Ben McDonald. Her Denham Springs house was destroyed by the historic flooding and the baseball players went to the home to take out water-logged furniture and floors to the front yard.

LSU Quarterback Brandon Harris spoke with reporters last night for the first time since fall camp started. Harris says he feels really comfortable as he enters his junior season…
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Harris says the flooding has impacted several players. His car and some of his teammates were flooded when parked on the north side of campus.

It’s still unclear who will start at quarterback for Louisiana Tech when they open the regular season against Arkansas. Redshirt freshman J’mar Smith and sophomore Price Wilson have good and bad days according to the coaches. Ryan Higgins was expected to start at QB, but he will not, because of a DWI arrest.

We’re 16 days away from the start of the LSU football season when they take on Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. ESPN announced Wednesday that it will have its College Gameday Crew in Green Bay for that game.

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The US men’s basketball team advanced to the semifinals after jumping past Argentina 105-78 last night. Kevin Durant scored 27 points for the Americans. The US eliminated Argentina for the 3rd straight Olympics.

The United States women swept the medals in the 100-meter hurdles last night. Domination like never before.

Locally, LSU Tiger junior Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Great Britain and former Lady Tigers national champion Nickiesha Wilson of Jamaica each lined up in the semifinal rounds of their respective events.

Local Olympians on TV today include Kelly Ann Baptiste in the women’s 4×100 meter relay prelims. Seimone Augustus, Syliva Fowles, former LSU women’s basketball stars, take part in the semi-finals, USA vs France at 5pm on NBC.

The New Orleans Saints are ranked No.22 in ESPN’s NFL Power Rankings. The Seattle Seahawks are No. 1 followed by Arizona, New England, Green Bay and Carolina.

Even though it’s a hectic week in south Louisiana, LSU is expected to start school on Monday as usual and accommodate local students affected by the flood. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Today in the MLB, Baltimore will open with former LSU standout Kevin Gausman. Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros take on the Orioles.

We’re 17 days away from the start of the LSU football season when they take on Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. ESPN announced today that it will have its College Gameday Crew in Green Bay for that game.

LSU fans are hoping running back Leonard Fournette will be healthy for the Badgers. Coach Les Miles says his star running back suffered a slight ankle sprain during Tuesday’s scrimmage.

In Ruston, Louisiana Tech football coach Skip Holtz announced today that offensive and defensive lineman Hakim Gray will transfer from the team and they wish him the best of luck.

Saints Coach Sean Payton said that rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins will be back this season, despite fracturing his fibula during a goal-line drill at practice on Monday. With Rankins and veteran Jon Jenkins both hurt, it’s likely Nick Fairley and Ashaad Mabry will start at defensive tackle when New Orleans faces Houston on Saturday night.

The Pelicans say their six-game preseason schedule will begin with a contest at the Century Link Center in Bossier City on October 1st against Dallas. New Orleans will also host the Pacers at the Smoothie King Center on October 4th. The Pels will have two games in China against Houston and they’ll wrap up the preseason with road contests against Atlanta and Orlando.

In major league baseball…the Phillies have announced that Aaron Nola’s season is over, because of an elbow injury. The former LSU star will not need surgery at this time. Nola’s season ends with a 6-9 record and a 4.78 ERA.

Former LSU star Alex Bregman is starting to heat up at the plate. The Astros third baseman hit his first major league home last night and today, he picked up a couple more hits and drove in a run, to raise his average to .198. But Bregman couldn’t help Houston beat St. Louis as the Cardinals won 8-2 for their fourth straight win.

Based on preliminary estimates, a vast majority of homeowners who flooded did not have flood insurance. Michael Barry with the Insurance Information Institute says these flood victims will seek help from FEMA, but typical FEMA direct assistance payments are around 10-thousand dollars. Barry says there is good news for motorists whose cars were damaged in the flood, if they have comprehensive coverage…
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Attorney General Jeff Landry says if residents see any cases of possible price gouging, they should call their consumer protection hotline. Landry says his office is also working with the online donation website, GoFundMe, to make sure contributions really go to flood victims…
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While tens of thousands of people have lost everything in the deadly flood, many are coming together to assist in recovery efforts throughout south Louisiana. Halen Doughty has more…
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The Red Cross says the flooding in Louisiana is the worst natural disaster to strike the US since Superstorm Sandy in 2012. They anitcipate that the relief operation will cost at least 30-million dollars. The Red Cross is mobilizing dozens of disaster response vehicles, filled with ready to eat meals.

Star LSU running back Leonard Fournette is in a walking boot after suffering a “slight” ankle sprain in a scrimmage Tuesday, coach Les Miles told reporters after practice. Fournette is the fourth reported injury to hit LSU through the first two weeks of fall camp.

This Olympic Update is brought to you by LUBA Workers’ comp … delivering genuine dependability.

Sprinter Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of LSU and former Lady Tiger hurdler Nickiesha Wilson both advanced to the semi-finals Tuesday.

Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles and the US women’s basketball team advance to the semifinals after defeating Japa 110-64.

The US still leads the medal count with 84 total, including 28 gold.

Gymnast Simone Biles leaves Rio with 5 medals — four gold and one bronze. It was the first Olympic games for the 19-year-old. Her four golds tie an Olympic record shared by 4 others.

The University of South Carolina is coordinating a collection of items that will be sent to flood victims in south Louisiana. Gamecock fans have been asked to bring items today through Friday. USC leaders say LSU was so gracious to assist them in their time of need, it’s their turn to help fellow SEC friends.

In the MLB, Former LSU star Alex Bregman belted his first big-league home run for the Astros against the Cardinals on Tuesday. The hit tied the game 2-2 in the first inning.

In Saints news, rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins will reportedly miss 4-8 weeks after breaking a bone in his leg and undergoing surgery on Tuesday.

Former Tiger Tyrann Mathieu has been activated from the phsycailly unable to perform list by the Arizona Cardinals. Mathieu is recovering from surgety to repair a torn ACL.

The New Orleans Pelicans will open the preseason against the Dallas Mavericks on October 1st at the Century Link Center in Bossier City.

The LHSAA says their office took on about 18 inches of water, but officials still say they plan to return to work tomorrow in a meeting where a major topic will be how scrimmages will be handled, and whether or not the flooding means the start of fall season would have to be pushed back.

LSU Football Coach Les Miles says star running back Leonard Fournette is in a walking boot. Miles says Fournette suffered a slight ankle sprain in Tuesday’s scrimmage. Miles said the injury is not terrible.

The flooding in south Louisiana is terrible, but there’s an SEC school reaching out to provide its assistance and that’s South Carolina. You may recall, LSU and Louisiana did what it could last year, when there was significant flooding near the South Carolina campus. So South Carolina is asking its fans to donate items that will be delivered in the Gamecocks equipment truck.

In Ruston, Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Courtney Wallace could miss the first game of the season, because of a foot injury. The Bulldogs open the year at Arkansas on September 3rd.

Saints first round pick and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins reportedly had surgery to repair a broken fibula today. It’s expected Rankins will need at least six to eight weeks of recovery, which means he could miss the first couple of games of the regular season.

Offensive tackle Terron Armstead missed the first two weeks of training camp with a soft tissue injury, but he’s been practicing this week and hopes to play Saturday night in the preseason game against the Houston Texans. Amstead’s return moves last year’s first round pick Andrus Peat to right guard, where he’ll have a chance to start.

The Cowboys like what they see from former Haughton star Dak Prescott and owner Jerry Jones says the team is no longer looking for a veteran quarterback. Prescott was 10-of-12 for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys preseason opener against the Rams.

And the Pelicans announce they’ll play a preseason game against the Mavericks on October 1st at the Century Tel Center in Bossier City.

Saints first round pick and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins will reportedly undergo surgery to repair a broken fibula today. It’s expected Rankins will need at least six to eight weeks of recovery, which means he could miss the first couple of games of the regular season.

Offensive tackle Terron Armstead missed the first two weeks of training camp with a soft tissue injury, but he’s been practicing this week and hopes to play Saturday night in the preseason game against the Houston Texans. Amstead’s return moves last year’s first round pick Andrus Peat to right guard, where he’ll have a chance to start.

The Cowboys like what they see from former Haughton star Dak Prescott and owner Jerry Jones says the team is no longer looking for a veteran quarterback. Prescott was 10-of-12 for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys preseason opener against the Rams.

And the Pelicans announce they’ll play a preaseason game against the Mavericks on October 1st at the Century Tel Center in Bossier City.

There’s bad injury news involving the Saints. First round pick and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins has reportedly broken his fibula in his left leg and he’ll miss at least the next six weeks. Rankins went down with the injury during a goal-line drill. Rankins injury will mean more playing time for veteran defensive tackle Nick Fairley. The Saints next preseason game is Saturday night in Houston against the Texans.

Now it’s time for your Olympic update brought to you by LUBA Workers Comp….delivering genuine dependability. US gymnast Simone Biles stumbled on the beam and ended up with a bronze medal for the beam final. Fellow US gymnast Laurie Hernandez won the silver. In track…American Allyson Felix missed out on her fifth Olympic gold medal as she had to settle for a silver medal in the women’s 400-meter final.

LSU football Coach Les Miles will meet with reporters later today. Miles told the school’s website that preparations for the 2016 season have been everything but normal, because of the historic flooding. Miles says the situation reminds him of Hurricane Katrina. The school’s field house is serving as a shelter. The team is scheduled to practice at 9:15 this morning.

In other LSU news…former LSU pitcher Jake Latz will reportedly transfer to Kent State. The 2014 Illinois Pitcher of the Year never lived up to his potential at LSU, because of elbow problems. He’ll have to sit out a season, because of NCAA transfer rules.

In Ruston, Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Courtney Wallace could miss the first game of the season, because of a foot injury. The Bulldogs open the year at Arkansas on September 3rd.

The Louisiana High School Athletics Association has suspended normal day-to-day operations, because 20 inches of flood waters has inundated their building in Baton Rouge.

Saints defensive tackle and first round draft choice Sheldon Rankins reportedly broke his fibula during a training camp practice in West Virginia. This injury is not expected to sideline Rankins for the season, but he is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks. Rankins was carted off the field, after suffering the injury during a goal-line drill.

LSU Football Coach Les Miles is expected to meet with reporters tomorrow, but he said in an interview posted at lsu-sports-dot-net that the flooding devastation around the Baton Rouge area reminds him of Hurricane Katrina. The coach says tight ends coach Steven Ensminger had water come into his home and relatives of Miles who live in Baton Rouge have been displaced.

The former voice of the LSU Tigers, Jim Hawthorne, has also been displaced. About a foot of water flowed into his home in East Baton Rouge parish on Saturday. He said individuals on a private boat brought him to dry land on Sunday.

The Louisiana High School Athletics Association has suspended normal day-to-day operations, because 20 inches of flood waters has inundated their building in Baton Rouge. The LHSAA says they’ll use Hurricane Katrina as an example of how they’ll allow players to transfer to a different school if they’re family has been displaced by the flooding.

Louisiana Tech is making plans to practice at Freedom Fields in Bossier City on Friday. Not only will team be there, but so will cheerleaders and the spirit group, Regal Blues. The team will practice from 4-6 Pm and then there will be an autograph session with fans from 6-7 PM.

There was a bad sight at Saints training camp today. First round pick defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins was carted off with an apparent leg injury. It occurred during a goal line drill. Coach Sean Payton they’ll have more news later and hopefully it’s good. Nick Underhill with the Baton Rouge Advocate is reporting that Rankins will likely need surgery.

In the first preseason game, linebacker Stephone Anthony was carted off the field. But ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Anthony is expected to be back before the regular season opener. Anthony led the team in tackles last season.

Former Oklahoma defensive tackle Courtney Garnett has been added to Grambling’s roster. He received a four-star rating from ESPN when he came out of high school in 2013.