Players Boycott Grambling State Football Practice

Grambling State University football players boycott practice

Players are upset after having to take a bus to road games in Kansas City (nine hours) and Indianapolis (12 hours), in addition to the school's decision to fire head coach Doug Williams last month.

Grambling State University fires coach Doug Williams in mid-September.

There is a lot of grumbling coming out of Grambling State University.

Football players walked out of a meeting with university and athletic department officials Tuesday and blew off practice on Wednesday in an act of protest over the direction — or lack thereof — surrounding the football program, the Shreveport Times reported. The players also didn't practice on Thursday, according to reports.

High on the players’ list of complaints is the taxing travel to road games. The team took a bus from Grambling, La., to Indianapolis last weekend — a 12-hour drive — to face Alcorn State (Grambling was blown out, 48-0) and last month drove nine-plus hours to Kansas City for a game against Lincoln University, another loss for the Tigers.

Players are also upset with the school’s decision to fire head coach Doug Williams last month and claim that the university did not pay for meals on road trips, the paper reported. Williams, who was MVP of Super Bowl XXII with the Redskins, is a former Grambling quarterback.

Following last weekend’s loss, players were upset when the meeting with administration — which included Grambling president Frank Pogue, Aaron James (athletic director), interim coach George Ragsdale and the student government president — turned negative.

“It was basically a mutiny,” a source told the Times. “(The team) rode the bus all that way (to Indianapolis), and then come back and are disrespected like that (in Tuesday’s meeting).

“(The team) is standing together because they don’t know if anybody else is standing with them.”

While the players were riding on a bus to and from Lucas Oil Stadium, the athletic director flew from northern Louisiana to Indianapolis, though a university spokesman said James paid for his ticket out of his own pocket.

“(The administration) knew that emotions were raw,” university spokesman Will Sutton told the paper. “No matter what, it was going to be a challenge for the team to feel good after this season and last season.”

Jeremiah 23:25

I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I havedreamed.

Jeremiah 23:27

Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

Jeremiah 23:32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them:

 Jeremiah 29:8

For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.