For the first time in years, Grambling State took the football field without its signature “G” displayed on its recognizable black helmets when the team played against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday.
Head coach Hue Jackson indicated that the players needed to earn the right to wear the logo after failing to meet expectations and would only earn the right to wear it again if improvement was shown.
“There’s a standard you have to have as a Grambling State football player. That ‘G’ does stand for greatness,” said Jackson Monday. “It’s something you earn. It’s not something that’s given.”
Grambling is 1-3 through four games and in last place in the SWAC West ahead of a critical matchup with Prairie View in the annual State Fair Classic.
Jackson, in his first season, explained that he wanted his current players to follow the example of previous Grambling teams that “set a standard” for what it means to represent the program’s storied tradition.
“I think it is so important that we understand the history and tradition of Grambling State University,” said Jackson … “I think when we’re doing what we should be doing both on the field and off the field, how we go about our business, then we can really say we really representing the university the right way.”
Jackson said the players did not complain about not wearing the helmet sticker. Instead, there was a desire to “do everything they can to earn the right to wear that ‘G,'” the coach said.
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