Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz calls former Bulldog defensive end IK Enemkpali a leader, who was involved in community service in Ruston. Holtz made the comments in response to the Jets releasing Enemkpali after he punched New York quarterback Geno Smith in the face in the locker-room, fracturing his jaw. Holtz says he hates that this happened to IK….
cut 30 (06) “…your life”
But it looks like Enemkpali has caught on with another team as there’s multiple reports saying the Bills have claimed IK.

The LSU football team is about a week into fall camp and the players are saying they feel comfortable in what new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele is teaching them. Defensive end Tashawn Bower…
cut 29(09) “…trying to do”
Bower says a big emphasis is putting more pressure on the quarterback.

The Saints first preseason game is tomorrow night as they visit the Baltimore Ravens. These preseason games are big for the players who are on the bubble to make the roster, like safety Vinnie Sunseri. Sunseri has been able to get more reps, because fellow safety Jairus Byrd remains on the physically unable to perform list…
cut 18 (19) “…really easy”
Kick-off tomorrow in Baltimore is at 6:30.

There’s been a very strange court room sketch released today of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who appeared in federal court as part of a deflategate hearing. In the background of the sketch, it appears LSU’s Les Miles, wearing his customary white hat, is sitting behind Brady. Miles even noticed and went on twitter to say he’s been busy at LSU, and he was not in the court room.

Louisiana Tech football coach Skip Holtz says he hates what happened to former Bulldogs defensive end IK Enemkpali. Enemkpali has been cut from the New York Jets after he threw a punch in the locker room that broke the jaw of starting quarterback Geno Smith. Holtz says he had a positive experience with Enemkpali when he coached him in 2013…
cut 30 (15) “…he was a leader”
ESPN’s Chris Mortenson says Enemkpali could face discipline from the NFL as a result of the incident.

At LSU….the Tigers will practice twice today.

And the Ragin Cajuns will hold their first of three closed scrimmaages today at Cajun Field. Coach Mark Hudspeth says he likes the toughness he’s seen from his team.

The Saints’ first of four preseason games is tomorrow night when they visit Baltimore. Many NFL fans have suggested there should only be two preseason games. But Coach Sean Payton says guys like, former Saints running back Pierre Thomas, may not have made the team in 2007, if there were only two preseason games…
cut 17 (20) “…two game exposures”
Kick-off tomorrow night is at 6:30.

The NBA schedule will be released at five o’ clock today. There’s already been reports the Pelicans will play at Miami on Christmas Day and open the season by playing the defending champs, the Golden State Warriors, at Oracle Arena on October 27th.

No practice today for the Saints. That’s because they are getting ready for tomorrow night’s preaseason game at Baltimore. It’s the first of four exhibition games and Coach Sean Payton is glad they have four preseason games before it starts for real

cut 16 (15) “four is perfect”

Thursday’s preseason game is important for players like safety Vinnie Sunseri, who is on the bubble to make the team.

Former Louisiana Tech star IK Enemkpali has been released by the New York Jets after sucker punching quarterback Geno Smith in the locker room and fracturing Smith’s jaw. Smith is expected to miss six to ten weeks and Jets coach Todd Bowles called the situation very childish. Enemkpali was drafted in the sixth round by the Jets in 2014. Reports indicate the altercation was over money.

The Steelers have signed former Saints kicker Garrett Hartley, who appeared in two games with Cleveland last year.

The LSU men’s basketball team is on its way to Australia. The Fighting Tigers will play five exhibition games in three cities against teams featuring professional players. Point guard Josh Gray is not on the trip, because he played in a game that wasn’t sanctioned by the LSU compliance office.

Former University High Basketball star Skylar Mayes has recommitted to LSU. The six-foot-three point guard led the Cubs to two straight Class 3-A titles and he’ll play his senior season for Findlay Prep in Las Vegas.

Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis is in Las Vegas attending a two-day mandatory minicamp in hopes of making the 2016 Olympic basketball team. Before beginning his NBA career, the 22-year-old earned a gold medal in 2012 serving as a backup for Team USA.

ULM announces four people will be added to their athletics hall of fame during a ceremony in October. Going into the hall are former wide receiver Vincent Brisby, former baseball star Andy Davis, the voice of the Warhawks, Frank Hoffman and Larry Saulters, who played basketball at Northeast and is the program’s career leader in assists with 398.

Former Louisiana Tech star IK Enemkpali has been released by the New York Jets for sucker punching quarterback Geno Smith in the locker room and fracturing Smith’s jaw. Smith is now expected to miss six to ten weeks and Jets coach Todd Bowles called the situation very childish. Enemkpali was drafted in the sixth round by the Jets in 2014. There are reports the altercation was over money.

The Saints held their final training camp practice today before Thursday’s preseason opener at Baltimore. Head Coach Sean Payton on what the first preseason game of the year means for his team…
cut 27 (06) “…veteran players”
It doesn’t look like running back CJ Spiller will play in the preseason opener as he’s been sidelined because of an undisclosed injury. It’s reported that the injury is not considered significant.

One other NFL note…the Steelers have signed former Saints kicker Garrett Hartley, who appeared in two games with Cleveland last year.

The LSU men’s basketball team is on its way to Australia. The Fighting Tigers will play five games in three cities against teams featuring professional players. Point guard Josh Gray is not on the trip, because he played in a game that wasn’t sanctioned by the LSU compliance office.

Former University High Basketball star Skylar Mayes has recommitted to LSU. The six-foot-three point guard led the Cubs to two straight Class 3-A titles and he’ll play his senior season for Findlay Prep in Las Vegas.

ULM announces four people will be added to their athletics hall of fame during a ceremony in October. Going into the hall are former wide receiver Vincent Brisby, former baseball star Andy Davis, the voice of the Warhawks, Frank Hoffman and Larry Saulters, who played basketball at Northeastern and is the program’s career leader in assists with 398.

The Ragin Cajuns football team is practicing in full pads and quarterbacks Brooks Haack, Jalen Nixon and Jordan Davis each took turns with the number one offense during team drills.

The New Orleans Saints final practice of the week is today then they’ll fly out Wednesday to Baltimore for Thursday’s preseason game against the Ravens. They started the second week of training camp with a full pads practice at the Greenbrier in West Virginia and worked for a little over two hours. Coach Sean Payton says he likes what he’s seeing..

cut 16 (14) “pretty well”

Payton says these first two weeks of training camp are about getting everyone up to speed.

ULM Athletic Director Brian Wickstrom isn’t leaving Monroe — at least not anytime soon. Wickstrom had been a candidate for the AD job at the University of Akron but says he withdrew his name from consideration Monday afternoon. Wickstrom came to ULM in July 2013 after spending three years as the Athletic Director at the University of California-Riverside.

LSU went through the first full squad practice of the fall and the battle for the starting quarterback position is far from over. Coach Les Miles said that sophomore Brandon Harris continues to get the first snaps, but if it will be he or Anthony Jennings that will start on September 5th against McNeese has not been decided…

cut 18 (09) “to evolve”

Jennings started 12 games for the Tigers a year ago, passing for 1,611 yards and 11 touchdowns. Harris played in nine games with one start last year as a true freshman. He threw for 452 yards and six touchdowns and added another 159 yards and three scores on the ground.

LSU has sold out of season tickets for the 12th straight football season as 74,350 season tickets have been purchased for this year’s home schedule. This ties the school record set last year when Tiger Stadium was expanded to seat over 100,000 fans.

Today was LSU’s first full squad practice of the fall and the battle for the starting quarterback is far from over. Coach Les Miles said that sophomore Brandon Harris continues to get the first snaps, but that determining if it will be he or Anthony Jennings that will start on September 5th against McNeese has not been decided…:
CUT 1 (09) “to evolve”
Miles said Harris “took the first snaps” of Monday’s practice but that junior Anthony Jennings “stayed in for a good portion of them.

The New Orleans Saints started the second week of training camp with a full pads practice this morning at the Greenbrier in West Virginia and worked for a little over two hours. Coach Sean Payton said it was a crisp practice and plenty of impressive plays. The Saints final practice of the week is tomorrow then they’ll fly out Wednesday to Baltimore for Thursday’s game against the Ravens.

ULM Athletic Director Brian Wickstrom isn’t leaving Monroe — at least not anytime soon. Wickstrom had been a candidate for the AD job at the University of Akron but says he withdrew his name from consideration on Monday afternoon…:
CUT 2 (16) “community”
Wickstrom came to ULM in July 2013 after spending three years as the AD at the University of California-Riverside.

Today the Patriots released former LSU quarterback Matt Flynn and signed former Cardnials QB Ryan Lindley. Flynn opened training camp on the active/non-football injury list and never passed his physical according to coach Bill Belichick. ESPN reports a hamstring injury kept Flynn sidelined.

As extreme heat continues to impact the state, today marks the first official day of football practice for Louisiana High School Athletic Association schools. Director of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association Terrence Williams says it’s extremely important for student athletes to be hydrated before, during and after practice or any type of physical activity. He says their coaches use common sense and know that it’s important to keep talking to the kids during practice…

cut 15 (18) “hydrated”

The LHSAA has issued an extreme heat warning to remind parents, coaches, and student athletes of the dangers of heat related illnesses.

Louisiana Tech opened fall camp Sunday and will hold its first practice this evening. 99 players reported to camp in Ruston as the Bulldogs hope to build on last year’s nine win season.

The NFL pre-season got underway last night as Minnesota pulled out a 14-3 win over Pittsburgh in the annual Hall of Fame game. The Saints will open pre-season play Thursday night when they travel to take on Baltimore and the team seems to be relatively healthy as gameday approaches. Defensive end Akiem Hicks and safety Jarius Byrd were the only players who missed practice this morning due to injury.

The Arena Football League has announced that the New Orleans VooDoo have ceased operations. The league took over operations of the VooDoo last month as part of its plan to solidify its financial condition. The team ended its season Saturday with a 36-33 loss to Jacksonville. The VooDoo ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance, averaging just over 4,000 fans per game in nine home contests in 2015.

Former LSU All-American Lynnika Pitts continues to emerge as one of the leading triple jumpers in the US. At the 2015 North American, Central American, and Caribbean Championships, Pitts took the bronze medal with a career best wind aided jump of 46 feet.

Today marks the first official day of football practice for Louisiana High School Athletic Association schools and temperatures continue to rise. Director of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association Terrence Williams says when possible, practice times are adjusted to avoid peak heat hours…

cut 13 (14) “times of the day”

The LHSAA has issued an extreme heat warning to remind parents, coaches and student athletes of the dangers of heat related illnesses.

In Major League Baseball, Danny Valencia drove in the winning run in a wild ninth inning to lift the A’s over the Astros 5-4. Houston remains atop the AL West. Seattle doubled up the Rangers 4-2 and the Miami Marlins end their 6-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Braves.

The NFL pre-season got underway last night with the annual Hall of Fame game. The Minnesota Vikings pulled out a 14-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Black & Gold open pre-season play this Thursday night when they travel to take on Baltimore, but several Saint players are not getting practice time because of injury. Defensive end Akiem Hicks, wide receiver Brandin Cooks, safety Kenny Phillips all missed practice Sunday due to injury. Safety Jarius Byrd is still missing practice while doing rehab on his injured knee.

The Arena Football League has announced that the New Orleans VooDoo have ceased operations. The league took over operations of the VooDoo last month as part of its plan to solidify its financial condition. The team ended its season Saturday with a 36-33 loss to Jacksonville. The VooDoo ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance, averaging just over 4,000 fans per game in nine home contests in 2015.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees described the first Black and Gold scrimmage Friday at the Greenbrier in one word: Sloppy. Reporters say Coach Sean Paton was visibly frustrated with the amount of mistakes on the defensive side of the football. But Payton says as with any first scrimmage, there are going to be things they will go back and see positives when they view the tape…:
CUT 1 (13) “get better”
The Saints are off Saturday and return to the field Sunday afternoon to begin gearing up for Thursday night’s pre-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

A source said Friday that the New Orleans Pelicans are looking at options for remote training camp locations including the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia where the Saints practice. Los Angeles was another spot named.

For the second consecutive day at LSU fall practice, quarterback Brandon Harris took the first team reps with J.D. Moore and Leonard Fournette. Anthony Jennings worked with the second string backfield. The Tigers broke down into its first team skelton offense Friday again with Harris at QB. It also included Sophomore Wide Receiver Malachi Dupre who says Harris is getting more consistent with his arm…:
CUT 18 (14) “no matter what”
After the first practice Miles told reporters that it’s far more important how the quarterback competition finishes than how it starts.

ESPN analyst Lee Courso turned 80 years old on Friday and Miles took a break from practice to create a video to wish him happy birthday. In the clip Miles says Courso truly demonstrates the fun and passion of college football and the Mad Hatter offers a Tiger head because he likes it when Courso picks LSU.

The first day of LSU fall football practice is in the books. Brandon Harris, Anthony Jennings, and Brad Kragthorpe were the only quarterbacks working out in the morning group. Harris got the first rep with Leonard Fournette and J.D. Moore during play-action drills. Sophomore Wide Receiver Malachi Dupre says Harris still has a strong arm and he’s becoming more consistent with it…

cut 18 (14) “no matter what”

The Tigers open the season on September 5th against McNeese State.

The Saints held their Black & Gold scrimmage this morning in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and three key players were missing. Running back CJ Spiller, offensive guard Tim Lelito, and defensive end Akiem Hicks did not participate becuase of injury. The extent of the players’ injuries is not known. The Saints open pre-season play next Thursday against Baltimore.

ESPN has ranked LSU running back Leonard Fournette at number seven in their list of college football’s top 100 players. The sophomore set a school freshman rushing record last season with 1,043 yards. The survey asked 43 college football writers, editors, and analysts to rate players on their expected contributions to their team in the upcoming season. Three other Tigers made the list: offensive lineman Vadal Alexander at number 42, defensive back Jalen Mills at number 60, and safety Jamal Adams at number 69.

The FCS Pre-season Coaches Poll shows a couple of state schools voted into the top 25. Southeastern Louisiana comes in at number 19 while McNeese State secured the number 23 spot. The highest ranked Southland Conference school is Sam Houston State at number four. Four-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State is ranked number one.

League sources report that the New Orleans Pelicans will open the 2015-16 season against defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in Oakland on October 27th.