Hue Jackson spoke out hours after being fired from Grambling State University and he made it clear he felt like he didn’t have enough time to turn the program around given the circumstances at the institution.
In a live interview with OffScript, Jackson said he felt the administration at Grambling State University seemed to feel that the program wasn’t turning around fast enough despite what he felt were a lack of resources.
I think we all know programs can’t be turned around in two years at instutions where funding is extremely inadequate,” Jackson said. “Facilities, equipment and training support are insignificant dispair. Institutional support is limited and opportunities are derailed at every turn. I think we all know that. But again, the lack of transparency, coordination and collaboration, in my opinion, will continue to plague the HBCUs.”
Jackson said he was honored to be a part of such a historic instiution for the time he was there. He said he wanted Grambling State to be where it rightfully deserved to be.
“At the end of the day, people will only focus on the wins and losses, but I know for a fact … we were turning that program back into the monster that we all wanted it to be,” Hue Jackson said. “But that takes time.”
Grambling State went 5-6 in Jackson’s second season. Those losses included going 0-2 in the Bayou Classic against Southern University.
“You have to give it three years when you come in the first year. You don’t want to walk in and run all the players out,” Jackson said. “There’s players that you need to evaluate. There’s players that and families that are tied to a place. I’m not just talking about Grambling. I’m talking about any place. You need to make sure you understand the lay of the land. And I would have felt though it was warranted (to be fired) if this year looked like the first year.”
Grambling State University went 3-8 in Jackson’s first season at the storied program.
“This year, you can see the turning of the program, the culture was starting to change,” Jackson said.