Sources: Tulane QB Pratt (knee) game-time call
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Tulane star quarterback Michael Pratt is expected to be a game-time decision against Ole Miss on Saturday, sources told ESPN.
Pratt injured his left knee against South Alabama late in the game last Saturday and has been limited in practice. He is expected to warm up before the game and see how he feels before a final determination is made on whether he plays, sources said.
Pratt’s knee issues come amid the backdrop of No. 24 Tulane hosting No. 20 Ole Miss in one of the biggest on-campus home games this generation.
Pratt is a fierce competitor, and the decision to play is going to balance his desire to participate in a big game versus his long-term health.
If Pratt can’t play, Tulane is expected to start Kai Horton, a redshirt sophomore with some experience in big games. Last year, Horton came off the bench to rally Tulane to a 27-24 overtime victory against Houston with three touchdown passes.
Horton has one career start, in 2021 against Cincinnati, and helped Tulane stay in the game for three quarters against a Bearcats team that went to the College Football Playoff.
In the opener against South Alabama, Pratt played one of the best games of any quarterback in the sport in the opening week. He finished 14-for-15 with four touchdown passes and ran for 39 yards as Tulane cruised to a 37-17 victory.
With under six minutes remaining and Tulane on its final scoring drive of the day, Pratt sprinted out of the pocket on a third-and-10 play and got hit awkwardly by South Alabama safety Jaden Voisin. Pratt appeared to spin around in the air to avoid the tackle and went down at a strange angle.
He got up slowly after the play, which was on the sideline opposite Tulane’s bench, and moved gingerly as he attempted to scurry across the length of the field. As he attempted to jog across, he appeared to be judicious in putting weight on his left leg. He did not go to the injury tent but rather rode a stationary bike while wincing and grabbing his left knee.
Pratt has started 36 career games, passed for more than 7,400 yards and thrown 72 career touchdown passes. He is a strong NFL prospect who has endeared himself to fans in New Orleans by staying at Tulane despite NIL offers from blue-blood schools.
Tulane plays at Southern Miss next week and hosts Nicholls the following week before opening AAC play by hosting UAB on Sept. 30. Tulane is the preseason favorite to win the American Athletic Conference.
Cincinnati Reds left-hander Wade Miley said Friday that he has not been accused of any wrongdoing, one day after reports stated a deposition from a lawsuit alleged he supplied Tyler Skaggs with drugs when both players were with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The deposition is part of a motion for summary judgment filed by the Los Angeles Angels, requesting a lawsuit from the Skaggs family be dismissed.
The deposition from Ryan Hamill, Skaggs’ agent, contains testimony that he was concerned in 2013 about Skaggs’ drug use. Hamill said he and Skaggs’ family confronted Skaggs about his drug use. Skaggs was then in his second season as a teammate of Miley with the Diamondbacks.
“He came clean,” Hamill testified. “He said he had been using — I believe it was Percocets — and he said he got them through Wade Miley.”
Skaggs died on July 1, 2019, at age 27 in a Dallas-area hotel. The autopsy found fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system.
Miley briefly addressed the issue before Friday’s road game against the Detroit Tigers.
“I hate what happened to Tyler, it sucks. My thoughts are with his family and his friends,” Miley said. “But I’m not going to sit here and talk about things that someone might have said about me or whatnot. I was never a witness for any of this. I was never accused of any wrongdoing.”
Former Angels communications director Eric Kay is serving a 22-year prison sentence in Texas after being found guilty on two charges of providing drugs related on Skaggs’ overdose.
The Athletic reported that the criminal proceedings against Kay included a recorded phone conversation in which Kay told his mother that Miley was a drug source to Skaggs.
Asked if Major League Baseball has contacted him regarding the allegations, Miley said, “I’d rather just focus on the Cincinnati Reds right now and baseball and what I have to do moving forward. I’ve got to get ready for a game on Sunday.”
Miley was mentioned in Kay’s criminal case, but he was never charged with a crime.
Skaggs was traded to the Angels after the 2013 season. He went 28-38 with a 4.41 ERA in 96 career starts.
Miley, 38, is with his eighth big league team and attempting to revive his career after Tommy John surgery in 2024.
Miley has a career 109-99 mark with a 4.09 ERA in 319 games (311 starts) since making his major league debut in 2011. This is his second go-round with the Reds. He was with the team in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, going 12-10 with a 3.55 ERA in 177⅓ innings over 34 starts (32 innings).
The Skaggs family is suing the Angels, contending that high-level team officials, as well as other employees, knew Kay was a drug user and should have known he was Skaggs’ source.
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