| Good morning, LSU fans. Not a very long newsletter today. More of a telegram, really. But some newsy news and unfortunately from an LSU perspective, nothing very good. First of all, LSU football has fallen below the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR) minimum threshold for the second straight year. In normal times this would trigger NCAA sanctions, but as our Wilson Alexander tells us, LSU is getting a reprieve because of the still lingering effects of the pandemic. However, this is the last down, as it were, for LSU, which must show academic progress next year. Not only progress, but it must improve its multiyear average from the current 923 to 930 or above. Meanwhile, Alabama and the NCAA have responded — sort of — into the suspicious betting activity that led Ohio regulars to halt betting on last weekend's LSU-Alabama baseball series because of two large bets placed in Cincinnati. Both the NCAA and Alabama acknowledged the situation but didn't shed much light on investigations into it. The plot thickens. A Louisiana gaming official did tell The Advocate that LSU is not under any scrutiny. Finally, yet another blow to the Tigers' pitching staff, as Garrett Edwards has had to undergo Tommy John surgery and will of course miss the rest of the season. He's the third LSU pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery this season. That's all for now. Thanks for giving us a read. Now you can get back to your busy lives. See you Saturday. Scott Rabalais | 