A Major SEC Football Program Faces Shutdown By The State's Governor

The state of Louisiana is facing a major budget crisis, and governor John Bel Edwards says that higher education in the state could be shut down for the fall semester. 

Edwards said during a statewide televised address that all college campuses around the state could run out of money in April, meaning all public colleges across the state would be shut down - and that all of those athletic programs would be shut down as well.

"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. This is reality. An unstable state budget will not only hurt children and working families in our state, it will devastate communities, businesses and local government as well."

LSU would obviously fall under this umbrella, so there's a real chance that the Tigers' football team - and Heisman favorite Leonard Fournette - might not take the field at all this season. 

Edwards wants to increase taxes drastically to help make up the $940 million deficit by the end of June. 

Many are opposed to the tax increases and the school shutdown, but should the state colleges remain open in 2016, that state of Louisiana would then be facing a deficit of $2 billion, according to the Times-Picayune. 

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