Mike Leach's Controversial Tweet Results in Player's Departure

The weekend edition of the Coronavirus Crisis and Sports: A look a what's going on in athletics beyond Alabama, and the best of Sports Illustrated

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach is finding out the hard way that things are a little different in the Southeastern Conference, and the South in general.

On Wednesday night, Leach tweeted a meme depicting a woman knitting a noose: “After 2 weeks of quarantine with her husband, Gertrude decided to knit him a scarf..”

On Thursday, Leach apologized for the tweet, saying, “I sincerely regret if my choice of images in my tweets were found offensive. I had no intention of offending anyone.” 

He did, however, including some of his own players, with Erroll Thompson, Fabien Lovett and Kobe Jones among them.

On Friday, Lovett announced his intention to transfer from Mississippi State. Lovett didn’t elaborate on his decision and didn’t say if Leach’s tweet prompted it.

College football 

Part 6 of Sports Illustrated's Position U series is on tight ends, one of the few in which Alabama isn't in the running for No. 1. 

However, it is in the top 10. 

Which school is the modern Tight End U? SI crunched a decade’s worth of data, based on which programs put players in the NFL, and the success they have when they get there.

The race was extremely tight, but No. 1 was Stanford.

College basketball

You may not have realized it, but The Final Four would've been this weekend

We won't crown a new champ this year, so why not look back at the best games in men's Final Four history?

From the 1940s until today, @ByPatForde picks out the best Final Four games in history.

Sports Illustrated

Did you notice?

• Last week, Andrew Doughty of SI ranked the 25 best college basketball hires since 2000. He also did the 25 best college football hires since 2000.

• Tarleton State hiring Billy Gillispie as its head coach as the program transitions to Division I as a WAC member is beginning to draw some backlash. The former UTEP, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Texas Tech head coach has had repeated drunk driving arrests and player mistreatment incidents. Wrote Rob Dauster of NBC Sports: “Tarleton State’s decision to hire Billy Gillispie is shameful.”

• Marquette and Long Beach State have more first-round NFL Draft picks than Iowa State.

• The NBA is “angling” toward canceling the remainder of 2019-20 season

• Baseball might try to play in an empty spring training ballpark.

For more SI Hot Clicks.

This story will be updated over the weekend as necessary.