The Delaware State Head Football Coach did not mince words when asked about the end-field brawl at Grambling State’s end and Bethune-cuckooSaying that the battle “looked like something in the streets”.
“There’s some stuff I’ve seen on the streets,” Jackson said of former NFL running back and current Delaware State running back Clinton Porter. Podcast House. “Growing up, you’ve got different gangs—it was like, bro, these guys didn’t like anybody in the area.
Jackson, in his first season leading the Hornets, lamented that this moment has overshadowed the hard work of players and coaches across the HBCU landscape. He emphasized that the negative optics went beyond the two participating teams.
“We do a lot of work, we don’t carry day in and day out, we just throw something away and throw it all away,” he said. “The head coaches, the assistants — everyone works so hard to represent us.”
Footage of the brawl, which broke out after halftime of Saturday’s game, quickly spread on social media before spilling over to the Sidelines. Nine players were ejected and total 27 players were suspended with a gypsy.
Jackson said the incident reflects the broader challenges HBCU programs face in their efforts to achieve national recognition and respect.
“It just, sometimes, shows the person, the person, what we can look like and what we can’t look like,” he said. “When we talk about power five opportunities, situations like this hurt us.
Still, the former NFL receiver closed on a hopeful note, saying he believes the moment can serve as a lesson.
“Hopefully everyone learns about it,” Jackson said. “Nobody’s perfect, but at the end of the day, whatever it takes to make it happen, it can’t come down to that in football again.”
