Grambling State fined, will play road games at Jackson State for next three years

Head coach Doug Williams' firing in September frustrated players. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Getty Images)

Grambling State has been fined and its football team will have to play road games at Jackson State for the next three years as punishment for forfeiting a game in October, according to a tweet Wednesday afternoon from SportsCenter.

The football team walked out of a meeting last month with the school's president and athletic director that was supposed to be held to discuss the players' frustration with the recent firing of head coach Doug Williams in September.

The players then boycotted practice, and tensions reached a new level when the players refused to travel to Jackson State for a road game, resulting in a loss by forfeit for Grambling State. As a result, Jackson State said it would sue the school for financial losses tied to the last-minute cancellation.

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As Sports Illustrated's George Dohrmann reported in October, however, the relationship between the team and the school's administration turned sour for many reasons, not just the coach's firing.

The revolt of the Grambling players earlier this week was reportedly a protest of long bus trips, a lack of food on the road and a general decline in the university's support of the program -- and that is true. But as SI learned while with the Tigers as the events of the past week unfolded, the players' actions were also driven by the need for answers to questions they have long been asking: Why can't they get a new floor in the weight room, in addition to some of the other things they feel they need to win games? Why did Williams get fired? And, most importantly, What has happened to Grambling football?

The Tigers, currently 1-9, have one game remaining on their schedule.

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