Home » Latest News » Grambling Players Skip Practice Hours After Walking Out On Administrators

Grambling Players Skip Practice Hours After Walking Out On Administrators

HBCU Gameday Newswire

Author:

HBCU Gameday Newswire

October 16, 2013

It’s been a long, disappointing season for Grambling football this year, and things appear to be getting worse by the day. Less than 24 hours after Grambling players walked out of a meeting with several school officials on Tuesday night, players skipped Wednesday afternoon’s practice. The players reportedly were unhappy with being bused to games in Indianapolis and Kansas City, weight room conditions and other issues, including the Sept. 11 firing of former head coach Doug Williams.

School officials included president Frank Pogue, athletic director Aaron James, interim coach George Ragsdale and student government president Jordan Harvey.

The report also mentioned the possibility of the players skipping out on Wednesday’s practice. Apparently the players carried out this threat as no one reported to practice according to Sean Isabella, who covers Grambling for the News-Star.

“(The administration) knew that emotions were raw,” GSU spokesperson Will Sutton said. “No matter what, it was going to be a challenge for the team to feel good after this season and last season. That’s part of the reason why we have a new (athletics director) and are looking for a new football coach. The president wanted to make a point that the university supports and appreciates the team and these students, and that the administration will do everything we need to do for the future success of the program.”
Most of the players have kept quiet, but Steve Orisakwe tweeted his frustrations online.
“Every week we go against the opposing team, they’re fans, our “fans” and our president,” Orisakwe tweeted.

Grambling, currently 0-7, is coming off of a 48-0 loss to Alcorn State in the Circle City Classic. They have now lost 17 straight games to NCAA opponents, winning just one game against NAIA Virginia University of Lynchburg since 2011.
Grambling is set to face SWAC leader Jackson State on Sunday.
Update: The original story reported that SGA President Jordan Harvey called the team “soft,” which prompted the team’s exit. Harvey denies saying this, that his message was one of encouragement that was misinterpreted. Orisakwe backed Harvey’s claim on Twitter.

-News-Star 

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

X