Oregon
Oregon’s Dan Lanning rips Skip Bayless for criticizing pregame speech
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is firing back at Skip Bayless.
The “Undisputed” host insinuated during the FS1 show Monday that Lanning’s pregame comments ahead of Saturday’s contest against the Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes had racial undertones.
“I’ve tried to tell you guys for two weeks there is a deep-rooted, venomous vengeance that is starting to manifest itself against [Colorado head coach] Deion [Sanders] among white coaches,” Bayless said Monday on the show.
The comments did not sit well with Lanning, and he pointedly addressed Bayless’ assertion.
“I don’t know Skip at all. I’ve never had a conversation with him,” Lanning told reporters Monday. “I’ve watched him enough to know how often he gets it wrong, so that sounds about right. But, ultimately, here’s what I say. We’re playing to win the game. You saw a 15-second clip from a window outside the house of what happens in a locker room.
“I know our locker room. I’m in the house 100 percent of the time. I know how our players felt going into that game — and I know what it takes to motivate our players.”
The comments in question came in the Ducks’ locker room as Lanning prepared his team for a showdown with the upstart Buffaloes.
The Ducks handed the Buffaloes a 42-6 loss to end Colorado’s undefeated streak to start the year.
But Lanning’s pregame speech — which was captured by ESPN cameras — took not-so-subtle shots at Sanders.
“Rooted in substance. Not flash. Rooted in substance,” the Oregon coach said in the clip. “Today, we talk with our pads. You talk with your helmet! Right? Every moment! The Cinderella story is over, men! Right? They’re fighting for clicks. We’re fighting for wins. There’s a difference, right? There’s a difference.
“This game ain’t gonna be played in Hollywood. It’s gonna be played on the grass.”
Lanning called it his “job” to motivate his players and that’s what he was doing during his pregame speech, he said.
The coach also specifically said his team had feelings about Colorado stepping on the Oregon logo at midfield before the game.
“They felt a certain way about a group stomping on the O,” Lanning said. “They felt a certain way about guys talking to ’em in the pregame. I’m proud of those guys because what they decided to do is talk with their pads.”
The Ducks coach did praise Sanders for what he has done for college football since arriving at Colorado and acknowledged that the reason Saturday’s game was so hyped up was because of Sanders.
“If anybody can’t see what he’s done for college football and how he’s bringing excitement to college football, you’re crazy,” he said. “I said that last week as well. He’s done a lot for the game. He’s building something over there.
“I think that’s really, really clear.”
Three Oregon lawmakers say they plan to introduce a bill that would bar utilities from raising rates if they have unresolved wildfire lawsuits for three or more years, describing it as an effort to hold PacifiCorp accountable as the utility faces a series of lawsuits stemming from the deadly 2020 wildfires that ravaged the state.
Republican state Reps. Jami Cate, Virgle Osborne and Ed Diehl announced their proposal in a statement Monday, on the heels of an approved rate increase for PacifiCorp customers and a federal lawsuit against the electric power company.
The federal government sued PacifiCorp last week over the Archie Creek Fire, which ignited in Oregon’s Douglas County in September 2020 and burned more than 200 square miles, about half of which was federal land. The complaint accuses the company of negligence for failing to maintain its power lines to prevent wildfires. In its filing, the government says it brought the suit to recover “substantial costs and damages.”
A PacifiCorp spokesperson said in an emailed statement Monday that the company was working with the U.S. government to resolve the claims.
“It is unfortunate the U.S. government decided to file a lawsuit in federal district court, however PacifiCorp will continue to work with the U.S. government to find reasonable resolution of this matter,” the statement said.
The federal lawsuit was filed on the same day the Oregon Public Utility Commission approved a 9.8% rate increase for PacifiCorp’s residential customers next year. In its rate case filings, the company said its request to increase rates was partly due to higher costs stemming from wildfire risk and activity.
When the new rate takes effect in January, PacifiCorp rates will have increased nearly 50% since 2021, according to the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, which advocates on behalf of utility customers.
The three lawmakers said they will introduce their bill in the upcoming legislative session, which starts in January.
“The federal government is doing the right thing by filing this lawsuit, and we stand firmly behind it,” Osborne, who is set to be the future bill’s co-chief sponsor, said in a statement. “PacifiCorp needs to pay up and take responsibility for the destruction they’ve caused, and putting a stop to rate hikes is the best way to achieve it.”
PacifiCorp is poised to be on the hook for billions in damages in the series of lawsuits over Oregon’s 2020 fires.
The company has already reached two settlement agreements over the Archie Creek Fire, including one for $299 million with 463 plaintiffs impacted by the blaze and another for $250 million with 10 companies with commercial timber interests, according to its website.
In other litigation, an Oregon jury in June 2023 found it liable for negligently failing to cut power to its 600,000 customers despite warnings from top fire officials and determined it should have to pay punitive and other damages — a decision that applied to a class including the owners of up to 2,500 properties. Since then, other Oregon juries have ordered the company to pay tens of millions to other wildfire victims.
The wildfires that erupted across Oregon over Labor Day weekend in 2020 were among the worst natural disasters in state history, killing nine people and destroying thousands of homes.
— The Associated Press
On Wednesday at 2:18 a.m. the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory valid from 10 p.m. until Thursday 10 a.m. for North Central Oregon and Central Oregon.
The weather service states, “South winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected.”
“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” adds the weather service. “Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.”
Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.
Oregon
Oregon lawmakers to introduce bill barring utility rate increases amid unresolved wildfire lawsuits
No utility rate increases until wildfire lawsuits resolved, Oregon lawmakers propose
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