The Morgan State football team had their homecoming game taken away following the senseless homecoming shooting incident that injured four people and canceled the entire week’s activities.
Now heading into their second straight week without a game, the focus has been on getting back to business as usual, according to Bears head coach Damon Wilson.
“We wanted to play the game, but we had a talk with the guys about understanding the bigger picture. We had overall safety in our minds on how we proceed,” Wilson said. “The university has done a great job of providing resources for our students; it’s been a tough time on campus. We were looking forward to Stony Brook, but we have to be creative this week and, at the same time, get as healthy as possible for a really good North Carolina Central team.”
Wilson permitted players to return home for the weekend if they chose and kept tabs on players who decided to stay on campus while helping them learn about life’s challenges.
“It’s how you respond to adverse situations. In order to be successful, you’re going to go through adverse times, and you want to make sure you handle those the right way,” he says. “We’re not shying away from it.”
Thank you for your unwavering support. 💙🧡 As a Morgan Family, we stand strong and resilient. Please keep our injured students in your thoughts and prayers as we rise above this moment, reaffirming #MorganStrong! 🐻 pic.twitter.com/g1pf9JBzfN
— Morgan State University (@MorganStateU) October 6, 2023
Wilson also said that his former school, Bowie State, lived up to the theme of unity among HBCUs by inviting the Morgan State community to their homecoming game in lieu of missing out on their own.
“Both universities have great presidents, Dr. David Wilson here at Morgan State and Dr. Aminata Breaux at Bowie State, and their administration did the right thing giving our students an opportunity to experience homecoming,” he said. “We’re great universities led by great people. It was a great gesture and something I was excited to see.”
In spite of all that’s going on, Wilson remains confident that the Bears can still challenge for the MEAC championship, and of course, it starts with the defending conference champion North Carolina Central Eagles next Thursday night on ESPNU.
“We have guys who can play football, we’re ready to roll,” Wilson said. “Everything we said we wanted to do is right before us, but we’ve got to play good football. I’m excited for the opportunity.”
