Surely The Late, Great Eddie Robinson is looking down on this once great school in dismay.
The buses charted to transport the Grambling University Football Team to Jackson, Mississippi, for Jackson's State's Homecoming Football Game, sit empty. For several days now, Grambling's players have been in a heated battle with the school's administration & football staff. Unhappy with perceived "disrespect" from the university, and lack of commitment to the program, the players walked out of a Tuesday meeting & have chosen to forfeit today's game. The players had refused to show up for practice on both Wednesday & Thursday. Among several different factors, including travel policies & the poor condition of university athletic facilities, it appears that the administration's decision to fire former Super Bowl MVP & Legendary Grambling alum Doug Williams-after an 0-2 start-may have been the last straw. Under the leadership of interim coach George Ragsdale, the team would lose the next five games. The week before Williams was fired, a dispute had begun over a non-sanctioned Alumni fundraiser led by the coach. Then-Coach Doug Williams had sought to replace deteriorating mats in the team's weight room that had been deemed a safety hazard. University officials did not approve of the coach not going through the school's foundation, the mats were ordered to be locked up in another building. According to a recent Sports Illustrated article, the floor tiles are curled up at the edges, insulation hangs down from where ceiling panels are missing, and rust covers the edges of the windows in the weight room. That same article cites a lack of adequate weight training equipment, resources to properly treat injuries, and supplements to replenish their bodies after workouts. For their last game, players had to endure a 750 mile bus ride to Indianapolis. Leaving campus at 6pm Friday, and arriving in Indianapolis at 9am Saturday, Grambling lost the game 48-0. Alcorn State flew its players in for the game. Overall however, the school itself has been in disarray as state funding has declined from $31.6 million to $13.8 million over the last four years.
Surely The Late, Great Eddie Robinson is looking down on this once great school in dismay.
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