The Times from Shreveport, Louisiana • B1

The Times FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2020 1B SPORTS The continue to roll in for Tackett Curtis and are likely to continue doing so whether or not the LHSAA al- lows a 2020 high school football season. The 2023 senior has continued to blos- som in a system that regularly sends ath- letes to the next level. The 6-foot-2, 192-pounder currently has on the table from Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech, Colorado, Virginia and Tulane among others. is a kid who checks all the Many coach Jess Curtis said. had a great freshman season, including a 16-tackle game in the state championship game.

He has gained 15 pounds of muscle this and is ready for a big Receiving the as a freshman have helped push the teenager toward working even harder to develop his Tiger talents. been a dream of mine from a young age of playing college football, so extremely blessed and humbled to re- ceive from all of these big Tackett said. been a great for me too. put on a lot more weight and gained a lot more strength and speed. So, excited to see what this season holds for Uncanny in his ability to read de- fenses, Curtis has additional assets as well.

of his biggest strengths is his Jess Curtis said. enjoys the contact on the football He has received several already because of his ability to play safety or continue to grow into an outside Twitter: Curtis tacking on collegiate Jimmy Watson Shreveport Times USA TODAY NETWORK Tackett Curtis currently has offers on the table from Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech, Colorado, Virginia and Tulane among others. SUBMITTED PHOTO One of a myriad of reasons why the Southland Conference voted to post- pone the 2020 football season until the spring of 2021 on Thursday was due to the threat of lawsuits should a stu- dent-athlete become severely ill or die after being diagnosed with COVID-19. That was the conclusion of North- western State athletic director Greg Burke, who said legal counsel was a part of the SLC meetings with admin- istrators, decided to kill the fall sea- sons of all student-athletes in the league. you work at the collegiate level, litigation is part of the thought process concussions come to mind.

You have to demonstrate that you are taking appropriate measures to avoid certain Burke said. was a discussion about that among many other reasons for moving our fall sports. When a number of conferences have already opted not to play in the fall, the exposure level is probably Volleyball, cross country and soccer were also by the decision which was reached Wednesday by the presidential Board of Directors, consultation with campus athletic directors, in full consideration of the health, safety and well-being of the student-athletes, coaches, administrators, support personnel and fans on the 13 Just last week, football was still a go in Natchitoches where downtown businesses and hotels depend on the sport for a portion of their annual revenue. The school earlier an- Litigation potential halts SLC football Jimmy Watson Shreveport Times USA TODAY NETWORK Northwestern State head football coach Brad Laird had to deliver bad news to his team on Thursday. CHRIS PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES See SLC, Page 2B The past two weeks really the last month, plus has arguably been the most trying and chaotic stretch for col- lege football in history of the sport.

University presidents, conference commissioners and athletic directors have all been sitting in meeting almost around the clock, discussing how their respective leagues and individual in- stitutions can navigate and sustain a college athletics arena amidst the health threat COVID-19 presents to student-athletes, coaching and every other piece to a particular sports puzzle. College football and the 2020 sea- son has hung in the balance for much of this despite most pro- grams opening up preseason practice. LA Holtz supports players Cory Diaz Monroe News-Star USA TODAY NETWORK See HOLTZ, Page 2B BATON ROUGE The New Orleans Saints just lost their home dome advan- tage. One of the most feared home in the NFL will be rendered virtually silent on Sunday, Sept. 13, when the New Or- leans Saints are scheduled to open the 2020 season against Tampa Bay and six-time Super Bowl champion quarter- back Tom Brady in a 3:30 p.m.

national- ly televised game on FOX. After consulting with medical ex- perts for weeks, the Saints announced Wednesday night they would not allow fans into the Dome for the opener because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is more easily spread in an indoor stadium like the Dome. The fans could return for the next home game, which will be Sept. 27 against Green Bay in a 7:20 p.m. game on NBC, team president Dennis Lauscha said.

are keenly award of the out- standing home advantage that our fans provide our team, and we are as ea- ger as anyone to welcome them Lauscha said. Saints quarterback Drew Brees said as training camp opened recently when asked about the prospect of no fans in the Dome. think any of us can anticipate what going to be like until actually in that Brees said. reaction of the fans and the atmosphere that the Superdome cre- ates is something electric. And irreplaceable, and it gets you Saints tackle Terron Arm- stead also imagine a silent Dome.

will be he said. fans make the sport. That is the biggest part of the game the fans, the crowd, the energy, the momentum. It will be tough. That is a challenge.

But we let anything, whether no fans or whatever, stop us. try- ing to get to the big The Saints are 50-14 at home under coach Sean Payton in the eight regular seasons in which they have made the 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2018, and for a .781 winning percentage. Over the last three seasons, the Saints were 19-5 (.791) in the regular season at home. In home games, New Or- leans is undefeated in regulation at 6-0. The Saints are 7-2 (.777) overall this century in at home, with the only losses last season to Minne- Saints fans cheer during the NFC Championship playoff football game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Jan.

20, 2019. SCOTT TODAY NETWORK Saints opener to be without fans Glenn Guilbeau Lafayette Daily Advertiser USA TODAY NETWORK See SAINTS, Page 2B Saints quarterback Drew Brees acknowledges the crowd after setting the all-time NFL passing yardage mark against the Washington Redskins in 2018 at the Superdome. CHUCK TODAY SPORTS.