| Friday, April 26, 2019 |
| Mississippi State Invites Fans and Followers to Become True Dawgs | |
 | Do you have what it takes to join Mississippi State University's True Dawgs? If you love MSU and social media, the answer is yes. True Dawgs is a social media initiative powered by Mississippi State supporters to reinforce MSU's standing as a world-class research university. Not only do True Dawgs serve as "social ambassadors" for their favorite university, but they also can win cool MSU merchandise for participating. "We know there's nothing more powerful than the collective enthusiasm and support of the global MSU community," said Sid Salter, MSU's chief communications officer. "Tapping into their power and influences is another way to promote Mississippi State's research and academic leadership and educate new audiences about the great things happening at MSU." True Dawgs membership is open to MSU students, employees, alumni and fans. Learn more about Mississippi State and sign up for True Dawgs at www.truedawgs.com. |
| Mississippi State Professor Named 2019 Social Worker of the Year | |
 | The Mississippi chapter of the National Association of Social Workers recently named Adele Crudden, a social-work professor at Mississippi State University, as its 2019 Social Worker of the Year at the association's annual conference. Leigh Jensen-Crawford, who served as director of MSU's student-counseling services until her retirement in 2016, nominated Crudden for the award. NASW's website states that nominees must demonstrate outstanding leadership and advocacy for clients in social policy, social-work practice, program development, administration or research. Crudden joined the MSU faculty in 1994 and has served as interim head of the sociology department since July 2018. She previously served as director of the department's social-work program from 2000 to 2013. During her time at MSU, she helped the university secure more than $11 million in federal research funds through the National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision. |
| More than $78K in preservation grants awarded to several communities | |
 | The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has awarded grants totaling more than $78,000 to nine preservation projects in Certified Local Government communities across the state. Amounts range from $1,743.75 for the completion of a survey report and National Register nomination for downtown Brandon to $15,083.35 to rehabilitate Aberdeen City Hall. The 2019 grants include, Starkville, $8,500, to develop a comprehensive survey plan and a listing of all eligible historic properties within the city limits. Members of the board of trustees are Kane Ditto, president; Reuben V. Anderson, Jackson; Nancy Carpenter, Columbus; Valencia Hall, Natchez; Betsey Hamilton, New Albany; Mark Keenum, Starkville; Web Heidelberg, Hattiesburg; Hilda Cope Povall, Cleveland; and Roland Weeks, Biloxi. |
| To chalk or not to chalk?: Officials discuss how ruling could affect parking enforcement | |
 | A ruling by a federal court in Michigan calling it unconstitutional for law enforcement to mark tires of parked vehicles with chalk to enforce parking ordinances doesn't apply to Mississippi, but some area officials say it may affect the Golden Triangle anyway. Both Columbus and Starkville have two-hour parking ordinances in their downtown areas and in both cities, chalking -- an officer making a small chalk mark on a parked vehicle's tire -- is how police keep track of whether a vehicle has been in a particular space too long and should be ticketed. On Monday, a three-judge panel of the Sixth U.S. Court of Appeals called chalking an unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment. Ken Winter, executive director of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police, said he doesn't see the Sixth Circuit's ruling as having any impact on police departments in Mississippi and would likely be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court anyway. |
| Engineer Research and Development Center marks Earth Day with seminar, planting | |
| The Mississippi River is the fourth largest river in the world in terms of length and volume, but very few Mississippians know anything about it, "And frankly, few scientists knew anything about it until just recently," Paul Hartfield said. Hartfield, an endangered species biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was the featured speaker at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's first center-wide Earth Day observance. As the world's population continues to grow, areas like the Mississippi Valley could play a significant role in helping meet the needs of future growth that could exceed 10 billion by 2050, he said. "The Mississippi River is the heart of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, and this is the largest, most productive contiguous agricultural area on the entire planet," he said. "Our back yard, we live in the Mississippi alluvial plain that we call the Mississippi Delta." That plain, combined with similar areas in Louisiana and Arkansas, provides crops like corn, soybeans and cotton that can be shipped across the world using the Mississippi. |
| US economy grew at 3.2 percent in first quarter, exceeding expectations | |
 | Economic growth in the U.S. blew past expectations in the first quarter of 2019, easing fears of an impending slowdown that kicked off the year. U.S. gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2019, according to an initial estimate of growth released Friday by the Commerce Department. Economists had expected U.S. GDP to grow roughly 2.5 percent between the first quarters of 2018 and 2019, typically one of the weaker periods for the American economy. Shaky financial markets, lagging retail sales and weak job gains all improved over the course of the first four months of 2019, improving the overall economic outlook along the way. Increases in consumer spending, private inventory investment, nonresidential fixed investment, exports and nonfederal government spending helped drive strong first quarter growth. |
| MDA leading business development mission Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands | |
| The Mississippi Development Authority will lead a multi-sector business development mission to Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands from June 18-25. Mississippi companies interested in expanding or initiating trade in these markets are invited to participate. "By participating in MDA's business development mission to Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, Mississippi businesses will have ample opportunities to forge mutually beneficial relationships in some of the largest economies in Europe. We encourage those interested in exporting to these key markets to join the state's delegation to pursue new export opportunities," said MDA Executive Director Glenn McCullough Jr. Space is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Early registration is recommended. The deadline to register is May 15. |
| Democrats, Activists 'Infuriated' as Jim Hood Defends Six-Week Abortion Ban | |
| Abortion-rights activists and some Democratic leaders are unhappy with Mississippi's leading Democratic candidate for governor, state Attorney General Jim Hood, after his office filed a brief in defense of the state's new six-week abortion ban. If the law survives a court challenge, it would require doctors to check for a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion, and all abortions would be banned in cases where a heartbeat is detectable. That usually happens around six weeks---before most women even know they are pregnant. "We should be able to expect better from a Democrat that claims to represent the people," activist Derenda Hancock said in a statement to the Jackson Free Press on Tuesday. Hancock is an abortion-rights activist who oversees a group of "clinic escorts" who help women avoid protesters as they arrive at the Jackson Women's Health Organization -- Mississippi's only abortion clinic. |
| Inside the Shrinking Newsroom of the Paper That Shapes the Primaries | |
 | Tony Leys is a newspaperman. He has covered murders. He has worked the copy desk. He has knocked on doors and taken verbal battering. Most reporters evolve to become editors, but Leys, bored behind a desk 20 years ago, did the opposite. After spending much of his career assigning stories -- as city editor, state editor, politics editor -- he returned to writing them. His beat became health care, and he owned it, reporting with soul-wringing realism on the flaws of the American medical apparatus. He has won numerous awards, including two years ago for reporting on the impact of Medicaid privatization, as told through the eyes of poor, suffering patients, and last year for authoring a stellar package of Sunday print edition stories about mental health. There will be no such series this year. Not because Leys has lost his job, but because he's being reassigned -- sort of. He'll continue to cover health-related stories. But for the next 10 months, his priority will be covering presidential politics. Leys is used to this. It happens every four years. Because this is Iowa. Because this is the Des Moines Register. |
| After Pentagon Ends Contract, Top-Secret Scientists Group Vows To Carry On | |
 | A secretive group of scientists who advise the U.S. government on everything from spy satellites to nuclear weapons is scrambling to find a sponsor after the Defense Department abruptly ended its contract late last month. The group, known as the Jasons, will run out of money at the end of April. The Pentagon says that the group's advice is no longer needed, but independent experts say it has never been more relevant and worry the department is throwing away a valuable resource. Late Thursday, it appeared that another government agency might be willing to take on the group. The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration posted a solicitation saying it intends to take over the contract for the group. That could happen in a matter of months, and it is unclear how the Mitre Corp., which manages the Jasons, would fund the group in the interim. The Jasons group comprises about 60 members. By day, they're normal academics, working at colleges and universities and in private industry. But each summer, they come together to study tough problems for the military, intelligence agencies and other parts of the government. |
| College board approves Felecia Nave as new Alcorn State president | |
 | Felecia M. Nave will be the new leader of Mississippi's Alcorn State University, with trustees voting to affirm the alumna's nomination. The state College Board voted to make Nave the 20th president of the 3,750-student university. She got a warm welcome Wednesday on her home campus two days after being named the sole finalist for the job. In sessions with faculty, students and university supporters, Nave is laying out a vision of a university that will provide a comprehensive 21st century education, while remaining true to its agricultural roots and uplifting the rural areas of southwest Mississippi. |
| Delbert Hosemann apologizes for Thad Cochran comments | |
 | Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann mistakenly claimed former Senator Thad Cochran was deceased in a speech to University of Mississippi students. After answering a question from a student about the relationship between Hosemann and Cochran, Hosemann said, "He's deceased, so I'm not real close." He later corrected himself after his speech ended. "Thad has been great," Hosemann said. "He's awesome with me and a whole bunch of other people." In a statement to the Clarion-Ledger, Hosemann apologized for his comments. "If you listened to all of my remarks today, I explained my deeply-held respect and personal friendship with Sen. Cochran, which carries on today. I made an improper comment, and I sincerely apologize," Hosemann said. Cochran, 81, retired last from the U.S. Senate last April after serving for 40 years. Despite health concerns, Cochran is indeed alive. |
| Medical Community Honors Anatomical Donors | |
 | Family members, physicians, and medical students gather at the cemetery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center to give thanks to those who donated their bodies for research. Jacki Burkhalter of Indianola is honoring the memory of her parents, George and Doris Lipe. She says she's proud of her parents for the decision that they made. "To me it just says that you're a selfless person... you're thinking of others," said Burkhalter. "This is to me the ultimate... not sacrifice... but gift. And so, I admire her and my dad for it." Dr. Allan Sinning is professor and chairman of neurobiology and anatomical sciences at UMMC. He has advice for families who are considering donating their loved ones bodies for research. "The greatest gift that a person can give is to be able to teach someone something," said Sinning. "And our students take these and the information they learn is used completely for the rest of their lives in their medical or dental practice or in their physical therapy programs." |
| Kohler employees donate food to Pearl River Community College's Wildcat Pantry | |
 | A Hattiesburg manufacturer has reached out to make life a little easier for some local college students. Employees from Kohler Engines donated food Thursday morning to the Wildcat Food Pantry on the Forrest County campus of Pearl River Community College. Kohler reached out to PRCC after it opened the food bank, wanting to help. Employees brought in all sorts of non-perishable food. "It's really, really an awesome thing when you have a company in your area such as Kohler who comes and sees needs in the community and steps up to the plate to meet those, so we're very thankful," said Jana Causey, vice-president of Forrest County Operations for PRCC. |
| Former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley to Auburn students: 'Believe in yourself' | |
 | Bob Riley faced a room full of blank stares Thursday when he asked Auburn University students how many of them want to be in politics. "You are making a wise choice," he said after a beat of silence, and the crowd laughed. Riley spoke in Foy Auditorium as part of the Lessons on Leadership lecture series presented by Auburn's Harbert College of Business. His message to the students in attendance was: "Believe in yourself." "The biggest thing that will keep you from being successful or being a later is whether or not you can put yourself out on the block, doing something that everyone tells you you can never do," Riley said. "Why should you care if somebody says, 'Sounds great, but it won't work'? They told me that when I ran for Congress. 'You've never been in elected office. You don't know what you're doing. You're from the smallest county in your district. You will never win.'" He served three terms in Congress, representing Alabama's 3rd District, and two terms as governor of Alabama. |
| U. of Florida shakes up student affairs leadership | |
 | The University of Florida has announced a major shakeup in its student affairs administration, after officials were connected to complaints regarding the misuse of millions in public dollars. Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Norbert Dunkel has resigned from the University of Florida, UF spokesman Steve Orlando confirmed. Dunkel's resignation is effective Thursday. Orlando also said UF had fired Dunkel's boss, Vice President of Student Affairs David Parrott. "The university has exercised its option to end his employment," Orlando said. This decision comes just three months after UF confirmed it had launched an internal investigation into the possible misuse of millions in public money. UF officials have not yet responded to a public records request for any investigative reports connected to the university's review. |
| Amid criticism, U. of South Carolina refuses to say whether all presidential semifinalists were men | |
 | The University of South Carolina is refusing to say whether it considered any female semifinalists in its search for a new president. At every public presidential forum this week, a group of USC students have read aloud a letter calling for female candidates to be included in the presidential search. Among their top assertions: that all 11 of the semifinalists considered for the presidency were men. "The President is the face of our institution and represents USC to the outside world. He or she symbolizes the University itself, embodying the values of our Creed," the letter said. "And yet we were given a search committee that looked nothing like the body it was supposed to represent, and they gave us a finalist pool that is not representative of the students they are trying to lead." USC was criticized last week after it revealed that all four finalists for the job were men and that three of the finalists were white. The 11-member search committee included nine men and two women, according to the university's presidential search page. |
| UT-Knoxville, Anti-Defamation League hold programs addressing hate incidents | |
 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville and the southeast office of the Anti-Defamation League held two events this week aimed at discussing hate incidents on college campuses, with additional training planned next week. These events come after several anti-Semitic incidents occurred on campus last fall. Days after the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed and seven were injured, swastikas were painted on The Rock at UT-Knoxville twice. The program was held for faculty and staff at 2 p.m. Wednesday and for students at 7:15 p.m. Administrators, along with city and county officials, also attended a training on Thursday. Tyra Haag, UT-Knoxville spokeswoman, said the university started planning for these sessions with the Anti-Defamation League last fall. |
| Seminar at Texas A&M draws experts to speak against wildlife poaching | |
 | More than 300 attendees gathered Tuesday at Texas A&M's Memorial Student Center to learn about the negative effects of poaching around the world as part of a Wildlife Warriors seminar. The event, hosted by MSC Freshman Leadership International in coordination with leadership from the Scowcroft Institute, featured three wildlife experts who spoke about the importance of conservation and the dangers poaching can pose. Students and faculty members from Texas A&M and other Texas universities gathered in the MSC's Bethancourt Ballroom for the event, where attendees could listen to lectures or visit with representatives of groups such as the student organization Veterinarians Without Borders. Texas A&M sophomore Harsh Mehta, co-director of the MSC Freshman Leadership International, explained that his student organization chose to have the event because of the group's focus on bringing awareness to international issues such as poverty and human trafficking. |
| Texas A&M-Galveston center to help compile sea turtle data | |
| A new research center at Texas A&M University in Galveston will coordinate sea turtle research and promote the restoration of their population in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research's primary goals are to enhance efforts of individual researchers by giving them access to grants they wouldn't normally have, to increase cooperation among researchers, to train future turtle biologists and to conduct sea turtle research in the region, according to a Texas A&M University Galveston press release. The center will aim to alleviate the lack of data regarding sea turtle populations in the western Gulf of Mexico, which is relatively incomplete compared to research done in the eastern Gulf. For financial support, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles will offer a sea turtle specialty license plate. |
| PETA renews protest of animal testing at U. of Missouri | |
 | A man in a white lab coat on Thursday portrayed a mad scientist performing experiments on a toy, stuffed dog with the University of Missouri Columns in the background. Behind him, a sign read: "Mizzou: Close Dog Torture Lab." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Thursday staged a protest on Francis Quadrangle, calling the university's testing of animals cruel and inhumane. MU spokesman Christian Basi said the dogs used in the research are not mistreated. "The university has a very rigorous process for approving animal research and a dedicated group of individuals oversees the research," he said. Personnel from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture periodically conduct unannounced inspections, Basi said. Every application proposed for animal research on campus is reviewed and alternatives are investigated, Basi said. |
| At the Center of Biden's Presidential Announcement? UVa Student Activists | |
 | Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s presidential-campaign announcement on Thursday featured footage from the 2017 white-supremacist rally at the University of Virginia. In the announcement, the former vice president called student activists at UVa "a courageous group of Americans" who stood against those spreading hate. The video footage showed a white, billowing sign featuring plain black text: "VA Students Act Against White Supremacy." Their words were illuminated by the glow of lighted torches held aloft by throngs of white men who repeated racist and anti-Semitic slogans as they circled the students. The rally in Charlottesville, Va., and President Trump's response to it, Biden said, illustrated the stakes of the 2020 election --- and prompted him to join the race. Trump had said there were "very fine people on both sides" of the protest. "In that moment I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen in my lifetime," Biden said in the video. |
| Call for major government funding boost for community colleges | |
 | Community colleges enroll large numbers of low-income students, who increasingly are students of color. And policy makers are challenging two-year colleges to increase socioeconomic mobility for those students. Yet a new report, backed by a broad range of experts, says community colleges are not being adequately funded. The report released Thursday by the Century Foundation, a nonpartisan progressive think tank, calls for greater investment in the country's community colleges by building federal-state partnerships that incentivize states to reinvest. The foundation also called on lawmakers to support research that would for the first time establish the true cost of educating community college students. |
| Amid measles fears, more than 200 students and staff at L.A. universities are quarantined | |
 | Trying to stop a measles outbreak from spreading, health officials announced Thursday that more than 200 students and staff members at UCLA and Cal State L.A. who have been exposed to measles are being asked to stay home. The five people diagnosed with measles so far in L.A. County this year include a UCLA student and a Cal State L.A. student. Concerned about the quick spread of disease on busy college campuses, health officials have ordered that students and staff exposed to measles who cannot show they have been vaccinated be quarantined until further notice. The announcement comes on the same day California health officials said 38 people had been infected with measles so far this year in the state, an increase of 15 from the previous week. Measles has been spiking nationwide this year, with 695 cases in 22 states reported so far, the most in the U.S. since 2000. |
| 'Devastation': In Ruston, a state of emergency after deadly tornado pummels college town | |
| A tornado killed two people as it tore through the northern Louisiana city of Ruston early Thursday, sending trees into houses, ripping roofs off buildings and causing a local public university to cancel classes, officials said. "Devastation is the way it looks," said Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker after flying over the city in a helicopter to assess the damage. At Louisiana Tech University, classes were canceled Thursday and Friday, the university said. The university said no students were reported injured, but trees and power lines were down in several places on campus. They also warned worried parents trying to reach their children that it might be hard to reach students because of the high volume of calls. The university's sports facilities got hit the hardest, officials said. "Our softball and our soccer facilities are completely demolished. Our baseball facility is severely damaged," said Malcolm Butler, the university's associate athletics director. The university planned to reopen Monday, said spokeswoman Tonya Oaks Smith. |
SPORTS
| Top 10 showdown between SEC's Bulldogs | |
| No. 9 Mississippi State is in the midst of a 10-game stretch against ranked opponents. The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back from being swept at now eighth-ranked Arkansas as they host No. 4 Georgia for a three-game set this weekend. "We hate losing, we all hate losing," said MSU center fielder Jake Mangum. "It kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth but we've got to move on from it." The battle between the SEC's Bulldogs begins today at 6:30 p.m. and continues Saturday at noon on SEC Network. The series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. MSU (33-9, 10-8 SEC) enters the weekend still leading the league with a .314 batting average, 471 hits, 351 runs scored, 314 RBIs, 101 doubles, 729 total bases and also has the fewest strikeouts at 257. |
| Mississippi State baseball has another big opportunity against Georgia | |
 | A difficult series for No. 8 Mississippi State against No. 7 Georgia might've gotten slightly easier for the home Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field with important news dropping Thursday. Georgia's ace, sophomore right-hander Emerson Hancock, is not available to pitch this weekend. Hancock (7-2, 1.04 ERA) was supposed to start against Mississippi State ace Ethan Small (4-1, 2.10 ERA) in Friday night's series opener at 6:30 p.m. Sophomore C.J. Smith (3-2, 3.05 ERA) gets the start for UGA instead. The pitching situation likely doesn't change Mississippi State's mindset in the slightest. This is a big series for the Bulldogs regardless of who they're facing on the mound. State is desperate to notch a few SEC wins after getting swept by Alabama last weekend. |
| Peyton Plumlee plays key role for Diamond Dawgs | |
| Peyton Plumlee was visibly perturbed. His 3-2 pitch was tight on Ole Miss catcher Cooper Johnson. From Plumlee's vantage point, it looked like a strike. The home plate umpire disagreed. Johnson was granted a walk. While the runner moseyed his way to first, Plumlee barked at his dugout in frustration. In previous outings, the irritation may have gotten to the right-hander. But Tuesday was different. With runners on the corners, Plumlee forced a fly-out to left field the ensuing at-bat to end the inning. "I thought he was great," Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis said after the 8-1 Governor's Cup win over the Rebels. "I thought he mixed and pitched. I thought the one run he gave up he actually made a pretty good pitch on. I thought he was really good all night long and it was a really good bounce back for him." It's this version of the senior pitcher that MSU is in dire need of down the stretch. |
| Emerson Hancock out for Bulldogs at Mississippi State | |
 | The Georgia baseball team will be without its top pitcher this weekend as it attempts to keep its spot atop the SEC standings at Mississippi State. Emerson Hancock will miss his typical Friday start for rest purposes the team said in a statement on Thursday, sidelining the league's top pitcher and one of the best in the country. Speaking to 960 The Ref in Athens on Thursday morning, Georgia coach Scott Stricklin said Hancock experienced general soreness after throwing a bullpen on Wednesday afternoon. He stated that nothing was structurally wrong and the coaching staff decided that a weekend off was best for Hancock and the team. "The bottom line is that we met as a staff and we met with Emerson and we want to make sure that he's good in late May and June," Stricklin said. "If we were in late May or June, he would be pitching. But we want to make sure he's pitching late May into June." |
| Jeffery Simmons leads Mississippi State record group of three in NFL Draft's Round 1 | |
| The Mississippi State football program played the waiting game Thursday night -- 19 picks to be exact -- as former Bulldogs Jeffery Simmons, Montez Sweat and Johnathan Abram were selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Simmons was the first MSU player off the board when he was taken 19th overall by the Tennessee Titans. Sweat was selected No. 26 by the Washington Redskins and Abram went No. 27 to the Oakland Raiders. It was the first time in school history three MSU players were drafted in the first round. "To me, more than anything, it's a validation that a young man can come to Mississippi State and Starkville and achieve all of their dreams," MSU head coach Joe Moorhead said. The NFL Draft will continue Friday with the second and third rounds beginning at 6 p.m. Rounds 4 through 7 are Saturday. |
| Jeffery Simmons of Mississippi State picked by Tennessee Titans in 2019 NFL Draft | |
| Jeffery Simmons has experienced many highs and lows over the last few years. What happened Thursday night definitely falls in the former category. Simmons was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The former Mississippi State defensive tackle is just a couple months removed from ACL surgery; he sustained an injury while preparing for MSU's Pro Day in February. Before the injury, Simmons was a potential top-10 pick. That he still went off the board in the first round even though his availability for the entire 2019 season is in doubt says a lot about the 6-foot-4, 300-pound standout from Macon. He's the first Mississippi State player to be selected in the first round since Fletcher Cox went No. 12 overall in 2012. |
| Montez Sweat of Mississippi State picked by Washington Redskins in NFL Draft | |
| Two Division I programs and a brief stint at the junior college level later, and Montez Sweat officially has a home in the National Football League. Sweat, a two-year standout at defensive end for Mississippi State, was selected by the Washington Redskins with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Redskins traded their 46th pick of this draft and a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to jump up and snag Sweat. There was some worry that a heart condition diagnosed at the NFL Scouting Combine would hinder Sweat's chances of being drafted in the first round. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, though, reported Thursday that the diagnosis was inaccurate. |
| Johnathan Abram of Mississippi State selected by Oakland Raiders in 2019 NFL Draft | |
| Another Bulldog is off the board in Nashville. Former Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram was picked by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Abram was the third Mississippi State player to get picked behind Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat. This is the first time in NFL Draft history that three MSU players were picked in the first round. Abram played two seasons at Mississippi State. He started his collegiate career at Georgia, where he totaled 25 tackles in eight games in 2015. Then he abruptly transferred to Jones County Community College. He cited the departures of former UGA head coach Mark Richt and former UGA defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt as the main reason for leaving. He turned himself into the top-ranked JUCO safety during his one season at Jones, and the Columbia, Mississippi, native signed with Mississippi State to return to his home state. Abram totaled 71 tackles as a junior and 99 as a senior, which led the team. |
| Three Mississippi State players selected in first round of NFL Draft | |
 | A school-record three Mississippi State football players were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was the first Bulldog drafted. The Noxubee County native was selected by the Tennessee Titans as the 19th overall pick. MSU had back-to-back selections later in the first round, with defensive end Montez Sweat going No. 26 overall to the Washington Redskins, and safety Johnathan Abram going No. 27 overall to the Oakland Raiders. Simmons totaled 163 tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, seven pass breakups, five forced fumbles and three blocked kicks during his three-year career. He ranks sixth in MSU career history in tackles for loss. Sweat led the Bulldogs in sacks for the second consecutive season, tied for sixth nationally with 11.5 sacks along with 14 tackles for loss, which ranked second on the team. Abram recorded 99 tackles with three sacks and two interceptions as a senior while being named first-team all-SEC and a third-team AP All-American. |
| Titans: Jeffery Simmons is worth waiting on | |
| The Tennessee Titans believe Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons' potential makes him worth the wait. Tennessee selected Simmons with the 19th overall pick in the draft Thursday even though a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee puts his availability for the upcoming season in question. Not even a three-year-old arrest and video in which Simmons was shown punching a woman could keep the Titans from selecting a player they considered one of the best in the entire draft. "We're excited," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. "To get this type of player and this type of person where we got him, we're very fortunate." Simmons said the woman that he hit was arguing with his sister. "I'll say this," Vrabel said, "there are bad people, and there are good people who make mistakes – bad, horrific mistakes. You can fix mistakes. You can't fix bad people. I can't wait, and I'm excited to have Jeff sit in front of you guys tomorrow and share that story." |
| Three Bulldogs go in first round; Rebels' WRs wait | |
| While his higher-rated teammate Montez Sweat continued to wait Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was the first Mississippian off the board in the NFL Draft here Thursday night. Nashville's hometown team, the Tennessee Titans, took a chance on Simmons with the No. 19 pick. Simmons was rated higher in some earlier mock drafts, but an ACL tear in mid-February gave some teams cause for concern. Minutes later MSU safety Johnathan Abram was drafted by the Raiders with the 27th pick. It's the first time in school history that three Bulldogs have been taken in the first round. The MSU trio were among nine SEC players taken on the first day. Alabama also had three players selected. |
| Missouri softball seeks crucial series win at Mississippi State | |
 | Missouri softball is on the fringe of being in a really good spot in the Southeastern Conference standings. Sitting in sixth place, owning the tiebreaker against fifth-place Kentucky, and third-place Ole Miss and fourth-place Tennessee set to do battle, Missouri could find itself sitting as high as third place by the end of the weekend. If only it were that easy. In a stacked SEC, where the five teams below Missouri hold seven or more conference wins, the Tigers could find themselves sitting as low as 10th place with a bad series. Mississippi State comes in with a 27-19 record and a very misleading 4-14 conference record. The Bulldogs hold a win over Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss, the current top three in the conference. Missouri's traveling to Starkville will favor Mississippi State, as it currently holds an 18-8 record at home. |
| Clemson to 'immediately conduct a review' as hoops assistant linked to FBI NCAA case | |
| A federal trial continued on Thursday in New York City, and Clemson's national championship football team, Zion Williamson and the Tigers' men's basketball team were brought into the discussion because of something an assistant hoops coach said on an FBI wiretap, according to reporters in the courtroom. Clemson assistant basketball coach Steve Smith was caught on a wiretap discussing the recruitment of Williamson, as well as the Clemson football program, according to testimony coverage by The Associated Press and Matt Norlander of CBSSports at the FBI trial related to college basketball corruption. Clemson responded to the testimony. "We are aware of the developments in federal court today involving one of our men's basketball assistant coaches. We take this matter seriously and will immediately conduct a review," Clemson Athletics said in a statement. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
