Jackson State Suing Over Grambling Flap, Probably...

((HT: ESPN/WAPT-TV))

As if Grambling didn't have enough problems this season- most of them seemingly created by their own hand...

But, now, it appears that Jackson State University is suing Grambling over the no-show for their homecoming game...

The JSU family was damaged. Our Homecoming game draws tens of thousands of fans. The university intends to use litigation to be made whole for our direct and indirect financial losses,” Eric Stringfellow, Jackson State's director of university communications, wrote in a message on the JSU website.

“We have a fiduciary responsibility to Mississippi taxpayers and the JSU community to mitigate our ongoing and substantial losses. Jackson State plans to pursue litigation against Grambling State and others.”

Stringfellow also maintained that Grambling told them, as late as Friday afternoon, that they were still coming.

Here's Andrew Kinsey discussing with Toni Collins...


Stringfellow maintains that the financial losses for the university and the city could be in the millions of dollars, but Grambling spokesperson Will Sutton told Ros Dumlao Gannett of the Shreveport Times that he hoped any kind of legal stuff could be avoided:

“It’s one thing to say litigation, it’s another thing to file. So if there is further action, we’ll look for the filing of the suit. And we’ll proceed from there,” Sutton said. “But we certainly meant no harm to our neighbor to the east, and we did everything we could to get everybody there (Jackson) and be an important part of their weekend celebration.”

This will be interesting to see of this makes it to the courts, and if it does, what kind of financial recourse Jackson State (and, maybe, even the city of Jackson) has in this case. It could set up some kind of precedent for bailouts like this in the future. But the Grambling case is so extreme, that it may have to be held on its own pedestal...

Grambling Players Decide to Come Back and Finish Season

((ht: shreveporttimes.com))

So, the protest lasted for a couple of practices and a now forfeited game.

The Tigers of Grambling University decided on Monday that they'd finish their football season. Of course this comes after what we mentioned in the first sentence of our story.

By now, most sports fans have heard the rallying cry. The team basically walked out early last week, complaining about: facilities, conditions, bus rides and their then interim coach (in no particular order). They then decided after not practicing half the week, to not play against Jackson State.

On short notice for Jackson State. On their homecoming.

So...the players decided today (Monday) to return to practice, senior Naquan Smith said in a released statement; "As part of the athletic program at Grambling State University, the football team took a stance on something we thought was right. We did not quit on our university. There are many problems that exist and if no one says anything, nothing will come of our institution. We hope coach Eddie Robinson and his legendary players can appreciate that we stood up for what we believe is right"

More from the Shreveport Times RIGHT HERE

Interesting.

We too admire the players for uniting and standing up for something. But. At what cost? Yes, the Grambling facilities appear to be substandard, particularly if you compare them to the palaces of the SEC or Big 12.

But that should not be a surprise.

We feel for them and for all the schools who don't have the gazillions of dollars that the BCS schools do. But the school also has the obligation to keep the facilities clean. Look at what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going through right now with MRSA.

Good luck to the players and we hope that all have learned something from this. Grambling and many of the schools on their level of competition play college football for the love of the game. They don't get the bazillion dollar contracts from ESPN and unfortunately never will. But they, as much as anyone have been a pipeline to NFL teams.