Why the Walkout by Players at Grambling Is Important

Late this afternoon, it was being reported that the player revolt at Grambling cancelled Saturday's game at Jackson State.

As we reported earlier, there are a number of issues why the players have boycotted their own program, with the main reasons being players are not getting meals while on the road, are not feeling respected by the Grambling administration, and, even more troubling, are surrounded by mold in their locker room and on their equipment. 

Some may think this walkout isn't important because it's a small black college, but they're missing the point. It's about fair treatment.

Sometimes, we as fans forget these are still just college kids playing a game, and they deserve to be treated with respect. From the sounds of it, those in charge forgot that at Grambling.

The discovery by these players that they control the game must be a scary thought to the NCAA. What if other players do the same? Jadeveon Clowney proved he had more power than South Carolina when he sat himself out of a game a few weeks ago because he was injured.

But this is different. Clowney doesn't have to ride a bus to games across the country or be cheated out of a meal and cope with poor facilities. 

Another problem is lack of cash. A report by Deadspin says that the State of Louisiana cut funding to the historical black college (HCBU). If this happened at LSU, it would be a huge story. 

A lot of HBCU's deal with the same issues, but some how they manage. Southern University, which is also in Louisiana and is Grambling's rival, isn't having that problem. This points to bigger issues at Grambling. 

Poor finical decisions by the athletic department there led to this. Individual players taking a stand is not a story because we've seen this before, but when a team stands in solidarity in what its players feel is unfair treatment, the NCAA, the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and Grambling itself better all take notice.

Players are mad as hell and are not going to take it any more!