The Southwestern Athletic Conference has suspended 23 football players following a postgame brawl between the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Grambling State University, with both schools also fined $25,000.
Nine players from Arkansas-Pine Bluff and 14 from Grambling State were suspended after the fight broke out following last week’s game between the two schools.
SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland announced the discipline on Tuesday, saying the conference would not tolerate the conduct.
“We’re extremely disappointed by the events that transpired during postgame of the Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Grambling State football game,” McClelland said. “Acts of that nature have zero place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and intercollegiate athletics. The Conference Office has and will continue to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for all acts deemed to be unsportsmanlike and contrary to the high standard of good sportsmanship we expect from all individuals associated with the athletics programs within our league.”
Each school was fined $25,000 in addition to the player suspensions. Both Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Grambling State are historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and the fines represent a significant financial hit for athletic programs that typically operate on far tighter budgets than major conference schools, which often earn seven-figure payouts for playing “guarantee games” against bigger programs.
