Being a great admirer of the late Eddie Robinson and the football program he assembled through the years at Grambling State University, I was dismayed to read the news of the problems, the unrest and the walkout that forced the Tigers to forfeit their game this past weekend with Jackson State.
On the road today to look over some court documents in Halifax, I was listening to the David Glenn Show when I got the inspiration for this column, essentially a tale of how you handle adversity.
Glenn was interviewing Pete Shinnick, head coach of the UNC-Pembroke football program, which is currently ranked eighth in the nation in the NCAA Division II coaches poll.
This is a great accomplishment since the school was without a football program since 1950 and only relaunched it in 2004.
It hasn't been easy, Shinnick admitted on the program. At the D II level scholarships are scarce and many players work to play, the team's quarterback working jobs in the summer in town so he doesn't miss seven-on-seven drills and other players doing the same just for the chance to be part of the program.
I thought about the work ethic demonstrated in this fledgling program and about the entitlement demonstrated by the Grambling team, walking out last week because they have to make nine-hour bus rides to play, workout in a moldy weight room and, according to some reports, have to buy their own Gatorade.
At issue in the Grambling dilemma are budget cuts, reduction of federal funding and, according to reports, possible mismanagement within the school administration.
It took a pep talk from their former coach Doug Williams, his firing another reason for the dissension, to get them to go back on the field to practice and play.
I believe, in the words of the great NFL analyst, Herman Edwards, you play to win the game and you do so against all odds.
I personally believe that's what Robinson would have told these players and I believe that's what they should have done last week before the anger, the resentment and rage at their plight got the best of them.
They are there to play to football, were recruited to play football and should have played football last week.
It's sad that a great program with a great tradition like Grambling has fallen apart but to prove your worth as a player and a team you play through adversity like this and keep in the back of your mind that there is some kid envious of the position you have, a player who probably wants it worse than you do.
To me, the world of college football has become entitlement-rich when players block another release of a EA Sports NCAA video game because their numbers and images are being used. For whatever they may think of themselves, to me they remain students and not superstars until they reach the NFL.
These players get a lot of special treatment regular students don't get — specialized tutoring, better meals and accommodations. They, and college football fans in general, need to remember that while football is a huge moneymaker, the main purpose for them being there is to get an education.
That's why the story of the UNC-Pembroke team is so inspiring, that despite their relative lack of recognition outside North Carolina, the Braves continue to play the game and thus far play to succeed. You play to win the game — Lance Martin
