DeSean Jackson gets into a fight Bethune-Cookman, Grambling

In recent episode his House of action podcast with fellow former NFL star and Hornet coach Clinton Portis, Delaware State coach DeSean Jackson rated about the scrimmage between Grambling and Bethune-Cookman on Saturday. For Jackson, he says the incident reminded him of his childhood.

“That’s the shit I see on the streets growing up. It’s like you have different gangs that look like gang rivalry to me,” Jackson said. “It didn’t seem like anybody on that field liked to look like the enemy like that. And, I just feel like, man, , we put too much effort into working hard day in and day out to just discredit and throw it all away for that guy. The head coaches, all the coaches that were involved. It just didn’t look good, man. And it just shows how good it can be, man, sometimes.”

Jackson argued that the fight hurt the perception of HBCUs, especially regarding Power Four opportunities.

“Like you say, we’re talking about the Power Four, it hurts our chances, man. When they look down at the HBCU level and some of the things that happen, they slow our progress and our steps to take it to the next level. You know, we hope everybody learned from that. You know, nobody’s perfect, but at the end of the day, whatever it took, they let it never happen again or football.”

on monday, The Southwestern Athletic Conference issued a penalty for the fightsuspending 27 players involved. In total, 27 student-athletes (9 from Bethune-Cookman and 18 from Grambling State) were suspended, while three students received two-game suspensions based on the level of their involvement in the altercation. Also, Bethune-Cookman and Grambling were fined. Grambling was fined $40,000.00 and Bethune-Cookman was fined $25,000.

“We are extremely disappointed by the events that occurred during halftime of the Bethune-Cookman football game at Grambling State,” SVAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland said in a statement. “Acts of that nature have no place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and intercollegiate athletics.”

His statement continued: “The conference office has and will continue to operate a zero-tolerance policy for any conduct deemed unsportsmanlike and contrary to the high standards of good sportsmanship we expect from all individuals associated with the athletic programs in our league.”