SWAC Suspends 23 Players Involved in Grambling-UPAB Postgame Fight

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Southwestern Athletic Conference suspended 23 football players and fined Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Grambling State $25,000 each Monday for a fight after the teams’ game Saturday, Nov. 7, at Grambling State.

Grambling State had 14 players suspended. Arkansas-Pine Bluff had nine. The conference said multiple players received two-game suspensions because of the severity of their actions. The rest will serve one game.

SWAC Suspensions for the GSU-UPAB Postgame Brawl | SWAC

The SWAC said its investigation, conducted with both schools, found that each program violated the league’s code of ethics and conduct through acts of unsportsmanlike conduct.

“We’re extremely disappointed by the events that transpired during the postgame of the Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Grambling State football game,” SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland said. “Acts of that nature have zero place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and intercollegiate athletics.”

McClelland said the conference office “has and will continue to enforce a zero-tolerance policy” for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The league issued the fines under its bylaws and sports regulations.

What the SWAC Did Not Release

The conference did not name the suspended players. Also, it did not say how many have received two-game suspensions, which games the suspensions cover, or whether they will serve them at once or spread them across multiple games.

That last point matters this week, especially for the Golden Lions.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff won Saturday’s game 35-32 and is 6-3 overall and 4-2 in SWAC play, tied with Prairie View A&M and Alcorn State atop the West Division.

These suspensions are untimely for the Golden Lions, who will host Prairie View A&M on Saturday in a game that could help determine which team reaches the SWAC Championship Game on Dec. 5.

Grambling State fell to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in conference play.

The SWAC has spread suspensions out before. After a 2011 postgame fight between Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Southern that led to 41 suspensions, including 25 UAPB players, the conference split the Golden Lions’ one-game suspensions across three games.

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Grambling State, One Year Later

Monday’s ruling comes almost exactly one year after the SWAC disciplined Grambling State for a halftime brawl with Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 8, 2025, also at Eddie G. Robinson Stadium.

Last season, the conference suspended 27 players: 18 from Grambling State and nine from Bethune-Cookman. Three received two-game suspensions; the conference fined Grambling State $40,000 and Bethune-Cookman $25,000.

Grambling State coach Mickey Joseph said after that game that his program would “meet disrespect with disrespect.” He later apologized to the SWAC and to Bethune-Cookman and said in a statement that his comments were not meant to condone violence.

This year, Grambling State’s fine is $15,000 less than it was in 2025 and equal to its opponent’s. The SWAC’s release does not say whether it considered the 2025 incident when setting this year’s penalties.

Comparing Grambling State’s SWAC Disciplinary Actions: 2025 vs. 2026

Nov. 8, 2025: Grambling State vs. Bethune-Cookman

Opponent: Bethune-Cookman
Site: Eddie G. Robinson Stadium
When it happened: Halftime
Total players suspended: 27
Grambling State players suspended: 18
Bethune-Cookman players suspended: 9
Two-game suspensions: 3 players
Grambling State fine: $40,000
Bethune-Cookman fine: $25,000

Nov. 7, 2026: Grambling State vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Opponent: Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Site: Eddie G. Robinson Stadium
When it happened: Postgame
Total players suspended: 23
Grambling State players suspended: 14
Arkansas-Pine Bluff players suspended: 9
Two-game suspensions: Multiple players (exact number not released)
Grambling State fine: $25,000
Arkansas-Pine Bluff fine: $25,000

Key Differences Between the Two Incidents

Total suspensions: Decreased from 27 in 2025 to 23 in 2026.
Grambling State suspensions: Decreased from 18 to 14 players.
Opponent suspensions: Remained at nine players.
Grambling State fine: Decreased by $15,000, from $40,000 to $25,000.
Combined fines: Decreased from $65,000 to $50,000.
Timing: The 2025 altercation occurred at halftime, while the 2026 incident happened after the game.
Location: Both incidents occurred at Eddie G. Robinson Stadium in Grambling, Louisiana.

For Grambling State, the latest disciplinary action marks the second straight November in which a fight at Eddie G. Robinson stadium has marred the game, leading to player suspensions and substantial financial penalties.

For Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the immediate concern is how the suspensions could affect the Golden Lions’ pursuit of a SWAC West Division championship.

With Prairie View A&M visiting Saturday, the timing of the disciplinary action adds another challenge to one of the most consequential games remaining on Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s schedule.

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