Bet Texas Tech won’t do the right thing and send Sorsby to the NFL

This is what happens when presidents at the blueblood power schools of college sports, and their cagey conference commissioners, shrug their shoulders and look to government and the courts to set the tone.

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby gambled on his sport, and his team (which used to be Indiana, in the 2022 season). Apparently before he was caught by cops, something got him to fess up in April. Admitted he had a problem. Promised to go through therapy, and did. That – and a local judge — was all it took to wipe his slate clean.

Sorsby’s stumbles – not isolated – only cost him whatever, if any, money he dropped. Instead of a permanent ban from NCAA sports, he got reinstated.

Monday, the home court advantage reared its head in college football. A Lubbock County judge ruled Sorsby can play this fall for the Red Raiders. The NCAA is appealing, but all four state Court of Appeals judges in Amarillo are Texas Tech law school grads.

As a countermeasure, the Big Ten Conference is reportedly going to consider a league-wide ban on playing Texas Tech – in all sports. And maybe not just in 2026-27. Georgia’s athletic department didn’t wait to act – the Bulldogs will not schedule any Red Raiders team.

Even schools in Texas Tech’s Big XII Conference are said to be talking about blackballing them.

It may get very lonely out on the west Texas plains. It should.

Sorsby admits he bet over $90,000 on college games in more than 9,000 wagers during his previous stops at Indiana and Cincinnati, including at least 40 bets on his Hoosiers team in the first half of the 2022 season. Amounts, small. Implications, broad.

“One of the harshest rules you can break, he did it, and he can still play. To me, this is one of the worst things I’ve seen in 20 years of coaching,” one unnamed football coach told The Athletic.

“I guess we can just gamble on our own team now and get away with it? That’s crazy,” said one all-conference Power 4 player.

“It speaks to the power of attorneys and politics and the lack of control the NCAA has over governance,” said one unidentified big-time coach. “Betting on your own teams or sport has always been a death penalty. But now it’s overlooked?”

Sorsby’s case is the latest in a long pattern of college sports gambling scandals going back decades. As a result, Sorsby’s betting and its acceptance by Texas Tech and a local judge puts a shroud over not just Red Raiders football, but every team, and every player when passes are dropped, balls are fumbled and tackles are missed. Fair effort, or did a player do less than his best to help shape a game’s outcome and benefit himself — and a bookie?

The senior quarterback is talented enough to take snaps at the next level.  His NFL Draft valuation will climb if he plays well this fall in Lubbock – while getting a very hefty NIL package said to be around $5 million. Not a typo.

But is any authority figure, at Tech or in a judge’s robe in the shadows of the west Texas wind turbines, gutsy enough to do the right thing — not let him?

Coaches talk about accountability as a virtue, but there is none in this most important case. At some place, at some point, somebody needs to show some spine.

It appears the only route for Texas Tech to avoid being justifiably ostracized.

Athletic director Kirby Hocutt has stood behind Sorsby, who apparently just finished a monthlong inpatient rehab program for gambling addiction. That’s noble.

But Hocutt and the Red Raiders want no more consequences. Forgive and forget.

Problem is, nobody will forget. Nobody. When Sorsby airmails a receiver, or holds the ball too long and is sacked, it’s going to be very difficult not to wonder what he really meant to do.

Not just fans. But coaches, and teammates.

It was only a few months ago, not long before Sorsby’s gambling mess was revealed, that LSU’s Lane Kiffin was trying to get him to Tiger town from Cincinnati, where he starred in 2024-25, with what was said to be a $3.5 million NIL package.

Best deal the Portal King never closed.

Not saying Brendan Sorsby is beyond redemption. Wish him well.

But his second chance shouldn’t come in college. Not even when fanboy judges and win-at-all-costs boosters, administrators and coaches present him that path.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Phonetic: /des·​ul·​to·​ry/

Part of Speech: Adjective

Definition

marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose
a dragged-out ordeal of … desultory shopping.
—Herman Wouk

not connected with the main subject
desultory comments

disappointing in progress, performance, or quality
a desultory fifth place finish

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State Representative Firment provides updates on insurance reform, teacher pay and the Legislature’s resolution to oppose any effort to transfer, divest, privatize, or dispose of Kisatchie National Forest lands.

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Join Marvin as he outlies “Changing the Rules” in our political election system in Louisiana.

 

Brought to you by Lance Lopez with Farm Bureau, the Harrington Law Firm, the Sharpco Hotel Group, the Mariner’s Restaurant and Local Businessman Pat Johnson;

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(EDITOR’S NOTE:  As Super Regionals begin this weekend, a classic voice of college baseball will be watching. Lyn Rollins has worked some Baton Rouge Regional assignments in years past, but nowadays his broadcast schedule wraps up with the end of LSU’s regular season. He’s weighing retirement, but will probably be back in August calling Tiger soccer and volleyball on ESPN+.) 

By ADDISON EVANS, Journal Contributor 

BATON ROUGE — Lyn Rollins arrives at Alex-Box Stadium early, as he always has, carrying his first Diet Coke of the evening, clutching the same worn brown briefcase that for decades has contained his neatly stacked game notes. He steps into the press box, his bright blue eyes scanning the monitors lined across the desk, his headset resting in place, waiting to begin the pre-game broadcast.

Around him, coworkers settle into their rhythm of preparing cameras, checking audio levels and lowering the deep blue SEC Network curtain for a backdrop in the announcers’ booth. His Diet Coke sits in front of him, but he still makes his way to the fridge for two more, a small routine that has outlasted nearly everything else in his career.

When he returns, he looks out to the empty rows of purple seats below him. Batting practice draws only a handful of fans. The sharp crack of baseballs to metal bats fills the air, echoing farther than it will once the crowd arrives. Soon his voice will fill it for many more watching at home.

Rollins’ real legacy is not anything he has said on air, but what his voice has come to mean to the people listening to it.

For decades, Rollins has been one of the defining voices of LSU sports, known for his “Lynisms,” a repertoire of colorful one-liners that have come to define him as a national treasure – cited by fans and media alike. 

Here’s a sample:

• “If Columbus would have had this wind behind him, he would have arrived in 1491.”

• “You’re going to need a bloodhound, federal Marshall and a subpoena to find that ball.”

• His most famous: “You can pucker up and kiss that baby goodbye! “

His career was not built in packed stadiums or bathed by television lights. It started during his undergraduate years at Northwestern State in a small radio station, KNOC AM in Natchitoches, where opportunity looked far less glamorous. 

“They literally said, if you empty the trash cans… sweep the lobby… make sure the door is locked, the job’s yours,” Rollins said. “I thought I was in heaven to do it.”

It was not the job itself that mattered; it was the opportunity to be there at all. His mentorship, one he says deserves a capital “M,” under legendary broadcaster Norm Fletcher allowed him to learn by doing, even when that meant Fletcher stepping away mid-broadcast and leaving Rollins alone on the mic. Those moments, he says, were where confidence was built not by perfection but by being trusted to figure it out.

Rollins traces much of his foundation back to Northwestern. He credits former speech department head Dr. Edna West, known for her nationally recognized work in phonetics, for shaping the way he speaks, even if she never realized the impact of her influence. He also tips his cap to college chum and former Demon infielder Jim Hawthorne, an Anacoco native who helped him find his love for broadcasting baseball.

“Northwestern gave me a chance to develop on my own terms,” Rollins said. “It wasn’t like today where there are opportunities with the SEC Network, ESPN and streaming.”

Hawthorne found statewide acclaim on a faster track, taking over at LSU’s sports play by play man in 1983 and going through the golden era of Tiger sports until retiring in 2016. Rollins started calling LSU baseball games on TV a decade after his former classmate got to Baton Rouge, but now has lasted a decade after Hawthorne hung up his headset.

Rollins was briefly a sportscaster at KALB TV in Alexandria, his hometown, in the mid-1970s, but for the first two decades after college, he broadcast sports on radio stations – notably serving as the voice of two minor league baseball clubs, the Lafayette Drillers and the Alexandria Aces, along with a 10-year stint as the play by play man for Northwestern Sports. Living in Pineville, Rollins drew TV assignments in the mid-90s for LSU baseball on the Jumbo Sports Network, then baseball, football and more on Cox Sports Television, and TigerVision before the advent of ESPN+ and the SEC Network.

For much of his career, broadcasting was not a full-time job, requiring him to balance other work along the way. Through it all was his wife, Debbie, a librarian who supported him during those early years and remained a constant as his reputation and schedule grew.

Outside of broadcasting, Rollins’ life follows the same kind of balance. His mornings begin with black coffee, followed by some form of exercise — something he has done nearly every day since 1985, missing only three. What once meant long runs has shifted to walking or biking, but his discipline has never left.

Much of his time away from the game is spent outdoors, working in his yard in Auburn, Ala., where he and Debbie relocated to be near their son and his family. The move has improved his lawn care, and lifestyle: he’s paying attention to details he says he might have overlooked years ago. The pace is much calmer, which is a large contrast to the noise of game day in Baton Rouge.

Over time, Rollins developed not just a skill, but his philosophy.

“Honor the audience… whether it’s one person or a million… you owe everything you’ve got,” he said.

To Rollins, broadcasting is not just describing a game: it is creating an experience.

That belief shaped his style, one built on language, imagery and connection, and over time, it built something else: trust.

That trust extends far beyond broadcasting.

Over the years, Rollins has received letters from people he has never met, many of them from women with husbands and children describing how his voice became part of their lives during some of their hardest moments. Some wrote about husbands battling illness, explaining how, for a few seconds during a home run call, the game allowed them to forget everything else. Others wrote about their children who were inspired by his craft. Rollins keeps those letters in his briefcase as a reminder that it is so much more than just a game.

“For 30 seconds… they forgot about their illness… they were wrapped up in the game,” Rollins said. “The joy of being able to relieve somebody… just the realization that what we do means a lot to people. We don’t see that.”

To him, those moments define the meaning of his work far more than any award or recognition.

Back in the press box, the quiet doesn’t last long. The seats begin to fill, the noise builds and the anticipation of Tuesday night Tiger baseball takes over.

Rollins adjusts his headset, glances at his notes and leans forward slightly as the first pitch approaches.

For those in the stadium, it is another game. For those listening, it is something more. Rollins already knows how he’ll sign off when the day, still a long seventh-inning stretch away, comes.

What he’ll say: “You can pucker up and kiss this baby goodbye!”

He won’t spread those words tonight. As he has for decades, Lyn Rollins is the voice carrying his audience not only to LSU Sports, but to the picture he paints of the game.

Contact Addison at sports@journalservicesllc.com

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Phonetic: /in-JEN-der/

Part of Speech: Verb

Definition

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Natchitoches parish was well represented at the 97^th state Future Farmers of America (FFA) convention in Alexandria by a group of sharp young people from Lakeview and NCHS’ FFA chapters. The convention featured 1,400 FFA members from 217 chapters located at high schools throughout the state.

The convention takes place from Monday, June 1 to Thursday June 4, during which time the FFA members will compete in various agricultural areas as well as public speaking. FFA is also notable in that the convention, and indeed the program, is student run. The FFA is not just for agricultural education, it provides hands on training in leadership and organization. Those blue jackets are more than a tradition. They are a symbol of excellence.

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Celebrate the Louisiana Peach Festival’s 76th year with free admission, a wide range of entertainment and activities, and plenty of peachy events to enjoy leading up to the festival. Browse our guide below and start planning your trip to Downtown Ruston for the weekend of Saturday, June 6.

EAT:
From June 1-6, enjoy Peach Culinary Crawl, a weeklong tasting tour featuring over 20 local restaurants. Each participating location will offer special peach-inspired items. From peach BBQ and burgers to peach cocktails and desserts, there’s something to satisfy every craving. The full Culinary Crawl menu is available on the Peach Fest website.

SEE:
Get a preview of all the arts of the festival with the 39th Annual NCLAC Peach Art Exhibit. Check out the display of local artist of all ages in the Lincoln Parish Library Events Center happening all through July.

– Peach fest hack: After visiting the exhibit, take the quick drive to explore downtown Ruston, scope out the festival grounds, and snap a picture at one of the colorful murals!

EXPERIENCE: There’s plenty to enjoy Friday before the festival:

• Take a stroll through Downtown Ruston and browse the Peach Sidewalk Sale. Participating downtown shops will be offering peachy deals and special promotions from June 3-6.
  – Peach Fest Hack: Find your perfect festival outfit during the sidewalk sale!
• The Peach Parade is a long loved and cherished tradition by festival attendees. The parade will roll down W. Alabama Ave. and N. Monroe St. on Friday, June 5 at 6:00 PM.
• After the parade, you can head over to the North Louisiana Expo Center for the 37th Annual Peach Festival Rodeo for family fun entertainment, trick riders, and more.

Saturday June 6: Festival Day!

Festival activities start at 9:00 AM and there’s plenty to eat, see, and experience—all located on the festival grounds.

EAT:

Festival Eats

• This year, enjoy bites from 15 food vendors, offering everything from burgers, sandwiches, and pizza, to classic festival treats, refreshing drinks, and tasty snacks.
• You’ll also want to pay a visit to the Historic Fire Station for a scoop of frosty peach ice cream from the ladies of Beta Sigma Phi
  – Peach Fest Hack: Ask vendors what their special peach item is! All food vendors create and offer a peachy item just for the Peach Festival

Local Eats
Feeling like a sit-down meal? Check out these local restaurants that are walkable from the festival:

• The Local: morning pick-me-up coffee, pastries, and breakfast bites.
• Uptown Downtown or Heard Freighthouse Food Park: perfect for lunch and plenty of options! For sandwiches, wraps, and a sweet treat, go to Uptown Downtown. For BBQ, Burgers, Chinese, or Mexican cuisine, head over to the Food Park.
• Sundown Tavern or Ponchatoulas: both are beloved Ruston staples with that classic dive bar charm. Be sure to try the fried green beans at Sundown or the stuffed catfish at Ponchatoulas.
• Roma or Utility Brewing: For classic Italian-style pizza, pasta, and fresh salads, take a stroll to Roma’s Italian Bistro. Want to try something different? Utility Brewing serves up creative wood fire-baked pizzas paired with craft beer in a cozy setting.

SEE:

• Festival Art Displays: Discover Plein Air artists painting the scenes and capturing the action of the festival in real time. At Kids Alley, there will be interactive displays and activities for the kiddos to participate in the arts themselves!
• Ruston Antique Classic Car Show: Head over to Cadence Bank from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM for the Car Show. Whether you’re a car enthusiast or just love vintage charm, this show is sure to impress with its lineup of beautifully restored classic vehicles.
• Fireworks Show: Stick around till the headliner performance for the Peach Festival’s Firework show at 8:45 PM! This dazzling sky display will take place before the headlining act to kick off the grand finale to the festival.
• Go to www.lapeachfest.com/schedule to see all festival events!

EXPERIENCE:

• Live Music: Enjoy more than 12 consecutive hours of live performances at the Railroad Park stage. With an exciting lineup of artists, the festival’s musical energy will keep you dancing all day long. Don’t miss the headliner, The Chee-Weez, taking the stage at 9:00 PM.
  – Peach Fest Hack: Bring a lawn chair or blanket in case seating runs out!
• Kids Alley: Make fun memories in this family-friendly zone packed with interactive activities and entertainment to keep the little ones smiling.
• Curated Market: Browse the booths of more than 90 vendors, all selling their handmade arts, jewelry, clothing, mugs, decorations, candles, and lots more. Additionally, you can stop by the Peach Fest Sticker Wall in the market—perfect for a fun and unique photo op.
  – Peach Fest Hack: arrive early to the Curated Market before your favorite vendor sells out. Visit www.lapeachfest.com/vendors to get a sneak peek at what vendors are offering.

SUNDAY:

After a busy Saturday, sleep in, take Sunday slow and enjoy Ruston’s cozy charm:

EAT:

• Trios: Enjoy their signature brunch menu in a trendy atmosphere.
• The Local: Order specialty brunch cocktails and bites in the heart of Downtown.
• Beau Vines Steakhouse: Not a brunch fan? Dive into a hearty lunch and bottomless mimosas.

SEE:
While you’re at the festival Saturday, you will likely spot a few of Ruston’s unique bulldog statues scattered throughout downtown. In total, there are 22 bulldogs placed around the city—each with its own charm. Stretch your visit a little longer and turn your Sunday into a scavenger hunt to track down the ones you missed.

EXPERIENCE:
Wind down with a peaceful visit to Lincoln Parish Park. This park offers mountain biking and walking trails, kayaking, fishing, and a playground for the kids. It’s the perfect way to soak in the natural beauty of Ruston and cap off your Peach Festival weekend.

From peachy treats and live music to charming shops and peaceful parks, the 76th Annual Louisiana Peach Festival is the perfect way to kick off your summer. Soak up the fun, explore Ruston, and celebrate 76 years of sweet traditions and unforgettable memories!

To learn the insider tips and tricks all seasoned festival goers know, read up on our How to Peach Fest blog.

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Hundreds of kids who dream of playing in the pros – or, kids who just love to play – can get signed up for the free New Orleans Saints & Pelicans/Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Junior Training Camp on Saturday morning, June 27 on the Northwestern State campus in Natchitoches.

The JTC annually provides two hours of full throttle fun alongside Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame members and NSU coaches, and staff from the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans community relations department. It is presented by Natchitoches Regional Medical Center.

The clinic registration can be done quickly on the LaSportsHall.com website under the “events’ button. Or parents can call the LSHOF Foundation office at 318-238-4255 for registration help. The camp fills to its 300-kid capacity almost every summer.

The LaSportsHall.com website has the full schedule for the Induction Celebration June 25-27. The JTC is one of three free events, beginning with the Thursday evening Welcome Reception from 5-7 at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches. The biggest free ticket is Friday night, June 26 Rockin’ Riverfest concert from 6-10:30 on the downtown riverbank, featuring a fireworks show after the Class of 2026 is introduced at 9:15.

The Junior Training Camp runs from 9-11 a.m., starting with registration between 8-9 a.m. at the Webb Wellness and Recreation Center (WRAC) gymnasium on the NSU campus. It’s important for parents to get their campers checked in well before the fun starts at 9 a.m. Then, campers get introduced to the sports stars who will be coaching them for the next two hours, inside focusing on basketball skills, and outside at Turpin Stadium, with football and general sports skills instruction.

Every camper will bring home a free T-shirt, other items, and a coupon for a meal at Raisin’ Canes. Photos from the camp will be posted on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Facebook page, and so will a highlight video.

The goals of the JTC are simple – a fun, and thrilling, experience for the kids, free of charge; skills instruction from some of the best to ever play, or coach, the games; and promotion of health lifestyles and positive life choices.

The campers are separated into two groups. One stays inside for the first hour for basketball instruction, while the other is next door at Turpin Stadium, having football fun. The groups switch locations in the second half of the camp.

Parents can follow their favorite campers and watch all the fun from the stands in the gym and on the east side of Turpin Stadium – where it will be sunny, and hot, watching some really cool memories being made.

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It may not feel romantic, but having honest conversations about money, family, and the future before marriage can make all the difference once real life begins.

 See what Ida says 

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By Richard Searles

Healthcare, education, roads and flood protection projects receive funding recommendations in House Bill 2

More than $54 million in state construction and infrastructure projects tied to Natchitoches Parish are included in the latest version of Louisiana’s capital outlay budget, with major funding proposed for healthcare facilities, higher education projects, transportation improvements and flood protection initiatives.

The projects are contained in House Bill 2, the state’s annual capital outlay bill, which identifies construction and infrastructure projects eligible for state financing.

Among the largest allocations is $16.6 million for a healthcare infrastructure project at Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, including construction of a new ambulatory tower.

Higher education projects account for another significant portion of the proposed funding. The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts Innovation Center on the Northwestern State University campus is slated to receive $13.8 million, while replacement of John S. Kyser Hall at Northwestern State University is proposed for $6.54 million.

Transportation and infrastructure projects also received substantial support, including funding for improvements to Louisiana Highway 156 and reconstruction of city streets in Natchitoches.

If approved, the projects would represent one of the largest recent state investments in public facilities and infrastructure within Natchitoches Parish.

Proposed Natchitoches-Area Capital Outlay Projects

Project	Proposed Funding
Natchitoches Regional Medical Center Ambulatory Tower	$16,600,000
LSMSA Innovation Center	$13,800,000
LA 156 Improvements (Natchitoches/Winn/Grant)	$8,000,000
Replacement of John S. Kyser Hall at NSU	$6,544,641
Goldonna Road Resurfacing	$3,560,000
Natchitoches Levee and Drainage District Levee Project	$3,025,000
Second Street and Touline Street Reconstruction	$2,280,000
J. Bennett Johnston Red River Deepening Project	$400,000
Courthouse Security Improvements	$391,522

Total Proposed Funding

$54,601,163

In addition to the projects directly located in Natchitoches Parish, residents could benefit from several regional projects included elsewhere in the capital outlay bill, including navigation and transportation improvements affecting the Red River corridor.

The capital outlay bill must receive final legislative approval and projects must advance through the state’s priority funding process before construction funds are released.

The proposed capital outlay budget directs more than $54 million toward projects in and around Natchitoches Parish, with healthcare, higher education and transportation projects receiving the largest allocations. The largest single project is a $16.6 million ambulatory tower project at Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, followed by a $13.8 million Innovation Center for the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts.

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By Richard Searles

Education, infrastructure and economic development among top priorities

BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana Legislature adjourned its 2026 Regular Session after approving a balanced $47 billion state budget focused on education, economic development, infrastructure improvements and debt reduction.

The budget includes approximately $4 billion in State General Fund support for K-12 education and $1.3 billion for higher education. Funding also includes $420 million for early childhood education and $30 million for tutoring programs.

Lawmakers approved more than $360 million in economic development initiatives, including incentives for higher-paying jobs, business site development and workforce recruitment efforts.

The Legislature also allocated more than $500 million for additional road and infrastructure projects, $33 million for Medicaid home and community-based services and $144 million to reduce state retirement debt.

Before adjourning, lawmakers approved a new congressional district map, eliminated vehicle inspection sticker requirements in most parishes, added $50 million to the fortified roof grant program and approved additional protections for minors online.

During the session, legislators considered more than 2,500 measures and sent more than 900 bills to Gov. Jeff Landry for consideration.

The 2026 Regular Session concluded with lawmakers approving major investments in education, infrastructure and economic development while advancing a wide range of policy measures affecting Louisiana residents.

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The Natchitoches Parish Clerk of Court’s office continued to be busy recording new leases as it filed 76 more oil and gas leases during the month of May 2026.

Natchitoches Parish Clerk David Stamey confirmed that activity remains steady in the area described as from Interstate 49 at Highway 6, along La. Highway 6 to the Sabine Parish line and approximately 10 miles north into the Spanish Lake bottoms. However, leasing has now occurred south of La. Highway 6 and across I-49 on the east side of the interstate. There was one lease in the far northeastern portion of the parish near the Red River Parish and Bienville Parish lines, indicating activity is also occurring in neighboring parishes.

“This is wonderful economic news for our area,” Stamey said, “but it will be even better with every gas well that is drilled. Drilling has mostly been in the northwest portion of Natchitoches Parish, but indications are that production companies have been pleased.”

Stamey mentioned that his office has been busy with both in-person abstracting and online access for conveyances dating back to 1905. “We have been lucky to meet abstractors from companies new to the Robeline field,” Stamey said. “We thank them all for their business.”

The geographic expansion of leasing activity represents a significant shift, with operators now securing acreage beyond the traditional Robeline Field concentration and into previously untapped areas across parish boundaries. Activity across I-49 and into the northeastern portion of the parish suggests operators are assessing broader geological targets within the Haynesville Shale formation.

The seismic 3D graphing project, active across a 310-square-mile area mostly in Natchitoches Parish, supports this expanded exploration strategy. This extensive subsurface mapping work indicates operators are preparing detailed geological models across a much larger footprint than the initial Robeline Field concentration.

Landowners approached with lease offers or seismic survey requests should understand the complexity and long-term consequences of these agreements. If you are not an expert in oil and gas matters, strongly consider contacting a qualified oil and gas attorney before signing any documents. Mineral leases can have significant implications for mineral rights, royalty structures, surface rights and future property use. Professional legal guidance is essential to ensure fair terms and protect your interests.

A review of Natchitoches Parish Clerk of Court records confirms the 76 leases filed in May 2026. The NPJ obtained this information directly from the parish’s online Public Records system.

Total Leases filed in calendar year 2025: 405
Total Leases filed in calendar year 2026: 279

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What a relief. There’s a big Congressional hearing Wednesday on the “Protect College Sports Act of 2026.”

“Supporting Student-Athletes, Restoring Fair Competition and Saving the Games Fans Love” is the stated mission of Senator Ted Cruz and colleagues.

“We cannot allow college athletics to morph into a mini-NFL or NBA,” said Cruz in an official statement announcing the hearing.

Senator, you’re late. By decades.

Some of it is fine by me. Absolutely if coaches are raking in mega-million dollar salaries, as they have been on the top shelf of the NCAA for this century, then the players ought to be cut in on the pie.

These seven-figure NIL deals we hear recruits and transfers are getting are no more excessive than the eight-figure contracts that are going to head coaches. Neither should exist, but …

We’re never going back to college sports as we thought they were. That will happen right alongside peace in the Middle East and admitting a messy CIA-Mafia conspiracy took out JFK.

You’ll get a lot more clarity June 12 when Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” hits movie screens and we find out Bigfoot uses UFOs to get away from prying eyes.

Ridiculous? So is the idea that Congress can solve this mess. We know the high level university presidents and conference commissioners can’t. Their first priorities are their own bottom lines. And it’s their second and third priorities, too.

The presidents punted on this long ago. It’s great that the former Ohio State president testifying Wednesday, Gordon Gee, is the same bold leader who offered these gems discussing an NCAA scandal staining the Buckeyes’ football program:

• “Let me just be very clear: I just hope the coach doesn’t fire me.”

• “They run the athletic department and I run the university, and I should have stayed out of there.”

He will no doubt show up at the hearing in his trademark bow tie. Looks academic. Here’s the clown Congress will hear from Wednesday: he ran up thousand-dollar luxury hotel bills on university expense accounts, got Ohio State to pay for $500 shower curtains for his university-provided house, and his marketing aces spent over $64,000 on bow ties, bow tie cookies and bow tie lapel pins for Gee and others to distribute over four years, according to reporting by the Dayton Daily News.

Surely he knows what’s good for the future of college sports.

Nick Saban will testify. He DOES know what’s good for the future of college sports.

He’s been telling anybody who will listen since the day he called it a coaching career, in part because their NIL package was the first and primary topic raised by practically every one of the first 20 or so players who he met with to discuss their futures with the following season’s Crimson Tide.

Listening to sages like Saban, and doing something about what you’ve heard, is where the disconnect exists with the presidents who make up the NCAA hierarchy and lead the Power 4 conference schools.

They are hoping Congress will impose its will where they would not. The Hatfields and McCoys have been sniping at each other across conference lines for decades instead of collaborating for the common good.

Now a group of presidents, board members and donors calling itself “Saving College Sports” – there’s even a snazzy letterhead – has presented Cruz and pals with a letter of support signed by dozens. New LSU president Wade Rousse’s name is on the letter. He told Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports he didn’t authorize his name to be included. Now that’s a reform-minded group, randomly claiming converts to its cause.

Know what’s missing from Wednesday’s festivities? Anyone not at the top tier. There are more than 360 NCAA Division I athletic programs. The issues discussed under the Capitol Dome tomorrow are so far out of scale for almost 300 of them that the eventual outcome for the non-Gucci schools is painfully predictable.

We saw it last month when the NCAA basketball postseasons, men and women, were padded to 76 teams – strictly a money grab for the biggies to get more teams in March Madness.

It doesn’t matter what’s good for the masses. It just comes down to what’s best for the masters of the college sports universe.

And they’re counting on a blow-hard heavy Congress, dripping in money from PACs and lobbyists that dwarf their actual salaries, to make it better?

Odds on that rank right up there with Jimmy Kimmel playing a round of golf with President Trump.

The ultimate solution to this mess will be when it crashes, drained of cash from disillusioned donors. Then we can hope that with nearly divine intervention, or desperation,  university leadership from across the far-reaching landscape gets real and sorts it out into authentic tiers of economically-sound competition with real oversight and rules that get enforced.

As likely as Fox News and CNN merging.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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MANSFIELD, La. — Sharpco Hotels Group has officially broken ground on a new 67‑room Comfort Inn & Suites in Mansfield, marking the company’s return to a community where its roots run deep.

The hotel will be built at the Interstate 49 and Highway 175 interchange, next to the LOVES Travel Center. When completed, it will become the first hotel at the exit, bringing new lodging options to travelers and supporting continued growth in DeSoto Parish.

The project will feature the Comfort brand’s Rise & Shine prototype, which includes a modern lobby, flexible seating areas, refreshed guestroom layouts, and amenities designed for both business and leisure guests. Plans call for complimentary hot breakfast, high‑speed Wi‑Fi, a fitness center, and meeting space.

For Sharpco Hotels Group, the project represents both progress and a homecoming.

“We are thrilled to return to the Mansfield market. I spent several summers living and working in our former Best Western here during my college years, so this community holds a special place in my story. Opening the first hotel at the Interstate 49 exit, right beside the LOVES Travel Center, is an exciting milestone for Sharpco Hotels Group,” said Jay Sharplin, President of Sharpco Hotels Group.

Sharpco previously owned and operated the Best Western in Mansfield throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, and the company says the new Comfort Inn & Suites will build on that legacy by bringing investment, jobs, and modern accommodations to the area.

Construction is now underway, with the hotel expected to open once development is completed.

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