The Ripple Effect (Grambling played themselves)

"I tried to tell 'em bruh but they wouldn't listen!"

Abraham Lincoln once said, "To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men." Eli Wiesel got up and said, "There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." Then Michael Bloomberg shut the building down when he said, "It's no fun to protest on an empty stomach."

 On Friday afternoon the Grambling State University football team refused to board the buses to take them to Jackson State University for the Saturday matchup between the two proud historically black colleges and universities (HBCU's). The players are beefing with the school about travel policies, poor facilities and a jacked up coaching situation.

 Back in September the school fired legendary alumnus and the first and only black quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, DougWilliams, just two games into the season.  Granted these duns were 1-10 last year and started off 0-2 this year. But if they didn't fire him after last season, what was firing him two games in going to do but create a situation like this? When they fired him you knew it was going to be some foolishness because that would automatically create a bad situation going forward. Nothing good was gonna come from it. In my Bernie Mac voice,"Nutin', Nutin'!

 Then just last week they sent these duns all the way to Indianapolis to play in the Circle City Classic on the freakin' bus! Now for those that don't understand, that's a 15 hour ride playboy. These cats left at 6pm on Friday evening and didn't get to Indy until 9am for a 2pm kickoff! Wheredeydodatat?

 Obviously they got the brakes beat off of them by Alcorn State 48-0, which is located in Mississippi. They flew in, on the other hand, on Friday and were well rested. So I completely get why these boyz are upset! However, if we're gonna talk then let's talk turkey bruh!

 Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! Unfortunately, everybody doesn't get to play major college football! Also the reality of playing at an HBCU means that they don't have the bread that other schools have with hundreds of thousands of rich alumni. Most of these schools were founded just 90 to 100 years ago. However, Grambling was founded in 1901 in the height of Jim Crow. So even though they had alumni they couldn't contribute to the schools bottom line like the predominantly white institutions alumni associations were able to do over the years. 

 So even though they have huge followings and alumni support we still live in America where those same initial alumni lived under segregation and limited access to the American dream until the last 35 years ago or so. I know playboy because both of my parents are proud alumni of Texas Southern University where they were students in the mid to late '50's! 

 Even though they graduated and made a good living they didn't have bread enough to fill the school's pockets with donations to build multimillion dollar facilities for boyz to train in and most still can't today. So when these cats signed a letter of intent to play at Grambling they knew that the school didn't have what LSU had down the street.

So while I get that boyz are upset and you feel like the school is mistreating you to some degree; you're still on scholarship and those joints are renewable annually pimpin'! So to not play was a good look in terms of protest and you let the world know that you weren't having it. But you also put your head on a potential chopping block. If that's what you were looking for then you got it. 

 Please understand this young playa, now that you're out there, you’re out there. By not getting on that bus on Friday and forfeiting the game against JSU on Saturday you potentially took your scholarship and threw it in the garbage. Don't think for one minute that there won't be consequences to not playing bruh! 

 Now on some real talk, the Grambling administration created this foolishness by firing Doug in the first place. So I'm not letting those clowns off of the hook at all. However, when boyz decided not to play they threw the rock in the water and the ripple effect will be devastating. 

 Not only are they soiling the reputation of their school but all HBCU's! Their actions as a university cost all kinds of folks bread this weekend. This is Jackson State's homecoming playboy! Do you realize how many people were on the yard on Friday gettin' in when some dun bumped the needle on the music to announce that Grambling didn't get on the bus? I know because I was on the yard when it spread like wild fire. My wife is a JSU alumna bruh! 

 And for all of you haters that are checking "Alumna" refers to a single female graduate and "Alumnus" refers to a single male graduate. The word Alumni refers to a group of both male and female graduates. I did go to college pimpin' and graduated from Indiana University but I get it in with the Tigers for homecoming! So now let's get back to that turkey we were talking about!

 You gotta remember that we live in a social media society and everything is instant! So as soon as the word hit the yard, folks started calling boyz that were in route. Now the question is, how many cats turned around and went back to the crib? If it was100 that was 100 too many bruh because homecoming is the biggest money maker of the year for HBCU's. 

 Most if not all are located in the hood because they were built in predominantly black neighborhoods at the turn of the 20th century and you know how those same hoods have deteriorated over the years because as folks got bread they've moved to the suburbs. Why not? But the fact remains that the schools couldn't move. So any and all bread that is made on big weekends like this is cherished.

 So after seeing this foolishness how many schools will take Grambling off of the schedule for homecoming or for  nonconference matchups in the future? If they can’t get boyz to play them outside of the SWAC then they’ll continue to lose bread. If they keep losing bread then they can’t afford to give scholarships. If they can’t offer scholarships boyz can’t go to school!  So are you willing to sacrifice all of that because you had to workout in the same jacked up facility and ride the same freakin’ bus that you signed up to ride in the first place? I’m just asking bruh!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
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The quote under the caption isn't real but its REAL talk!