Twenty-three football players from Grambling State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff are sitting out games after the Southwestern Athletic Conference handed down suspensions and a combined $50,000 in fines following a postgame brawl that broke out after UAPB's 35-32 win over Grambling State on Nov. 7. The league announced the discipline Monday, with fourteen Grambling State players and nine UAPB players suspended and each school fined $25,000.
The SWAC's investigation found that both programs violated the league's code of ethics and conduct through acts of unsportsmanlike conduct, according to SI.com. Several players received two-game suspensions because of the severity of their actions, though the conference has not publicly released the suspended players' identities or the exact number serving the longer penalty, per HBCU Gameday, whose reporting, credited to writer Steven J. Gaither, forms the bulk of what's publicly known about the incident.
SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland did not mince words in response. “We're extremely disappointed by the events that transpired during postgame of the Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Grambling State football game,” he said, adding that “acts of that nature have zero place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and intercollegiate athletics.”
Grambling State Apologizes, Faces Second Straight Season of Discipline
Grambling State issued a statement condemning its student-athletes' actions, saying, “We sincerely apologize for the behavior exhibited and unequivocally denounce the actions of those involved,” and pledging to hold those responsible accountable. The university's athletic department head, Dr. Trayvean D. Scott, separately apologized to UAPB directly, telling WGNO, “I apologize to the Grambling State University community and to the UAPB team and their fans. I have been in contact with UAPB Director of Athletics Chris Robinson.”
This marks significant SWAC disciplinary action for Grambling State for a second consecutive season. Last November, Grambling State and Bethune-Cookman players fought during halftime of their conference matchup, a brawl that led the SWAC to suspend 27 players — 18 from Grambling State and nine from Bethune-Cookman — with three players drawing two-game suspensions. That incident cost Grambling State a $40,000 fine and Bethune-Cookman $25,000. Combined with this week's penalty, Grambling State has now accumulated $65,000 in conference fines from the two incidents, and the program has had 32 football players suspended across both altercations.
A Hard-Fought Win Overshadowed by the Aftermath
The chaos came after a game that UAPB had to claw its way through. The Golden Lions overcame a fourth-quarter deficit with two late touchdowns to pull off the 35-32 road win, and Daedae Allen's 76-yard punt return helped seal the victory, per the same account from HBCU Gameday. The win improved UAPB to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play, keeping the Golden Lions in contention for the SWAC Western Division championship.
UAPB head coach Alonzo Hampton criticized the postgame incident bluntly. “It's embarrassing,” Hampton said. “That can't happen.”
Suspensions Loom Over Upcoming Matchups
Both teams could enter their upcoming SWAC matchups without several key contributors because of the suspensions, the report notes. Arkansas-Pine Bluff will host Prairie View A&M on Nov. 14, while Grambling State will travel to Bethune-Cookman that same weekend — a rematch against the very program it clashed with in last year's halftime brawl. Neither the full list of suspended players nor the exact breakdown of who is serving the longer, two-game penalties has been made public by the SWAC.
