In life, there are some things you just don’t threaten, like a man’s mother or wife or kids. In the South, you never, ever threaten a man’s -- or woman’s or mom’s -- college football, even if it’s nothing more than what most are calling your typical political bluster.
Yet that’s exactly where Louisiana’s governor went Thursday, with John Bel Edwards “threatening” the very existence of the sport in the state -- including flagship program LSU -- if a tax increase for which he’s pushing isn’t implemented. The state is facing a nearly $1 billion deficit, and funding for higher education, among other things, could be cut, the governor said, if “the largest tax increase in state history” is not put in place by June.
“If you are a student attending one of these universities, it means that you will receive a grade of incomplete, many students will not be able to graduate, and student-athletes across the state at those schools will be ineligible to play next semester,” Edwards said. “That means you can say farewell to college football next fall.”
“These are not scare tactics,” Edwards, wearing a Grim Reaper costume, added.
From the New Orleans Times-Picayune:The governor went so far as to say that LSU football was also in jeopardy, due to a threatened suspension of spring classes that would jeopardize college athletes’ eligibility next year. He said the state would no longer be able to afford one of its most popular programs with middle class residents -- the TOPS college scholarship -- without tax hikes.
... “I don’t say this to scare you. But I am going to be honest with you.”
The governor didn’t just threaten LSU football if his tax increase wasn’t implemented, with the Times-Picayune writing that, during the state-wide television address, “Edwards told viewers that the state would be forced to take extreme action -- such as throwing people with off of kidney dialysis and shutting down hospice services -- if new taxes didn’t go into place over the next few months.”
Here’s to guessing that a deal will be reached before June, before people are thrown off dialysis. Or before people start throwing legislators off buildings and/or bridges for shutting down their beloved Bayou Bengals football.
