A few players taking their time back to the field might not seem like much, unless you’re on the other sideline, waiting to move. On Saturday, November 8, that short delay was all it took for things to spiral at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium. Just before the third quarter of Bethune-Cookman’s 31–23 loss to Grambling State, tempers boiled over, and a halftime fight broke out, leading to the ejection of nine players.

Moments before kickoff for the second half, players from both teams began jawing near midfield. What started as words quickly escalated into shoves, then swings, and eventually bodies being tossed against benches as officials and coaching staff scrambled to restore order. While the exact identities of the ejected players (Grambling State- 5, Bethune-Cookman- 4) have not been made public, the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) confirmed that both programs will undergo a review of the incident.

Grambling State later released a statement addressing the situation.“A full review of yesterday’s incident is underway. Our commitment remains the same: compete with passion, lead with discipline, and represent Grambling State with excellence.” But what caused the eruption?

According to Grambling State head coach Mickey Joseph, the spark came when a few Bethune-Cookman players were slow to return to the field. Joseph doubled down on his frustration in his postgame presser, emphasizing leadership and discipline. “You gotta make sure as a coach, support staff that all your players come down,” Joseph said. “If you’re gonna walk down there and take your time. Now, there’s 3:30 left on the clock and you got four or five of their kids just taking their time. We gotta go. We can’t wait on two players, but they should never leave their players. Who leaves their players? Who leaves their players over there knowing we got to come down. We aren’t going to tolerate the disrespect.”

For 26 minutes of game time following the scuffle, neither team scored. The emotional residue lingered on the field as focus and rhythm both faltered. Bethune-Cookman, despite flashes of strong play including quarterback Timmy McClain’s two first-half touchdowns and Juan Dominguez’s 42-yard field goal late in the fourth, couldn’t recover.

Grambling’s Hayden Benoit sealed the win with his fourth touchdown of the day. Grambling State went on to secure its seventh victory of the season (31-23). What could have been a proud moment, however, was overshadowed by the chaos and embarrassment of the altercation that saw some players take matters into their own hands.

Meanwhile, Grambling State has left the humiliating 0-70 loss to Ohio State behind and is fourth in the SWAC West conference and looks set to challenge for the championship. Ed Orgeron, the legendary LSU coach, recently visited their campus.

Ed Oregeron gives a pep talk to the Grambling State players

Nov 7 came as a welcome surprise for the Grambling State Tigers as they got to interact with legendary coach Ed Orgeron. The ex-LSU coach made a return to the football field while interacting with the Tigers ahead of their fateful game against the Bethune Wildcats. It would have been a highlight for their coach, Mickey Joseph, as his efforts were recognized by the royalty of Louisiana football.

The Grambling State Tigers took to X to thank Ed Orgeron. The post read, “Thank you to National Championship-winning coach Ed Orgeron for stopping by practice and sharing words of wisdom with our G-Men 🗣️.” While the pep talk would have been the highlight for some of the players. It would go a long way in building their confidence as they make a bid for another conference title.

On the other hand, Ed Orgeron hinted at a comeback to the football scene as he talked about his future with one of the reporters present at the stadium. He said, “All depends on what the best thing available is…I have a little meat left in the bone, I’m ready to go.” While it has been four years since he last led a team out on the turf, it would be interesting to watch the master strategist back in action.