MEAC hands down suspensions from UMES-Bethune Cookman incident
By Uba Okereke
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) issued suspensions of nine student-athletes of the women’s basketball teams of Bethune-Cookman University and University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. They were involved in an on-court altercation between the two schools on February 14.
Five student athletes from Maryland-Eastern Shore and four from Bethune-Cookman violated an NCAA guideline prohibiting these athletes from playing in the next regular-season game following a formal investigation.
MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas said that the incident isn’t indicative of the talented student-athletes at UMES and Bethune-Cookman
The original contest between Bethune-Cookman and UMES was suspended as a result of the altercation.
The conference is working with both institutions to reschedule the game. The game’s date and time will be announced when confirmed.
Florida A&M, Southern to play in 2011 Bank of America Classic
The 100 Black Men of Atlanta announced on February 16 the new match-up and sponsorship for the 2011 Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic on September 24.
According to WGCL Atlanta, the Florida A&M Rattlers and the Southern Jaguars will meet for the first in time in the Classic’s history on the gridiron ripe with pageantry and pride. The event will be hosted and produced by the 100 Black Men of Atlanta.
The Classic will bring more than 100,000 visitors to the city of Atlanta, with the event bringing HBCU students, alumni and fans to celebrate tradition and education. All proceeds from the game will go toward the 100 Black Men of Atlanta’s Project Success, the programs post-secondary preparation and tuition assistance program. CEO John Grant says that the new match-up with FAMU and Southern University will provide a fresh rivalry both on and off the field. Since 2004 the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic has raised millions for Project Success and the participating universities.
The Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic promises to deliver the best halftime battle between two bands: The Human Jukebox of Southern University and The Marching 100 of Florida A&M University. Both bands have performed around the world, including performances at presidential inaugurations, BCS bowls and Super Bowls.
Each year, the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic delivers more than a football game to fans with a weekend chock full of activities including job, health, financial fitness and college fairs, the Coors Light Cold Zone and Pre-Game Show, the Tyson Foods Band Jamboree and the McDonald’s Halftime Show. A robotics competition was added in 2009.
The Atlanta Football Classic has been played annually in Atlanta since 1989. It was first hosted at Grant Field, and since 1992, has been hosted at the Georgia Dome. Only four universities have participated in the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic: Florida A&M University, Southern University-Baton Rouge, South Carolina State and Tennessee State University.
Though FAMU and Southern have both played in the Atlanta Football Classic, the teams have never faced off against each other.
Okereke is a contributing writer for Regal Black Men’s Magazine, a publication dedicated to the African American community.
