JACKSON, Miss.–Who ever heard of a college football strike? When player for Grambling refused to get on buses to come to Jackson (22 players actually showed up, but that wasn’t enough) and player the JSU Tigers, “Mississippi’s comprehensive urban university” had but one choice: to follow the old rule ‘the show must go on’.
The Sonic Boom took to the field for an extended performance and a half-time concert wowed a crowd of thousands who still showed up at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium, some still hoping that Grambling players, who were protesting bad conditions in the program and the firing of two coaches, would somehow change their minds and give both schools a great game.
The homecoming game was forfeited by Grambling, meaning JSU won by default. The school played a 30 minute scrimmage, still giving fans and alumni a bit of a football game.
If you bought a ticket for the homecoming game, JSU will refund the purchase through Wednesday if you bring your ticket to the athletic department or mail it in with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Grambling, meanwhile, takes a $20,000 fine from the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference). The school apologized for the incident in a statement over the weekend.
“We have had our financial challenges this year, and unfortunately, too many of our players don’t understand the degree of fiscal challenges. We are sorry.”
Grambling said they hope to reach a deal with the students soon. It was unclear if any scholarships had been pulled yet, or whether the school had that kind of thing in their immediate plans.
