Florida A&M escaped with a 28-27 win over Alabama State on Friday, but the postgame spotlight quickly shifted from the Rattlers’ victory to coach Quinn Gray’s decision to pull quarterback Armond Parker out of a live interview with SWAC TV reporter Symone Stanley.
The incident occurred during the postgame coverage as Parker spoke with Stanley after Florida A&M secured the one-point win. Gray approached the interview and removed Parker from the conversation, bringing the live exchange to an abrupt end.
SWAC TV Sideline Reporter gets Holly Rowe’d after FAMU’s upset win over Alabama State https://t.co/pilvkrXHvR
— Jaret Bates 🇺🇸 (@jaretbates) October 9, 2026
Gray later acknowledged the interruption and explained that a situation on the field, where tempers were flaring, prompted him to get his players to the locker room.
“Want to take a moment and apologize to Ms. Symone Stanley of SWAC TV for the abrupt ending to her interview with our QB Armond Parker,” Gray said in an apology.
“There was a situation happening on the field and tempers were flaring and I needed everyone to get to the lockerroom so there wasn’t another story that would have needed to be explained.”
The apology offered Gray’s explanation for his decision to end the interview, pointing to the potential for tensions on the field to escalate after the game. His comments suggested he wanted to get the players off the field before the situation developed into a larger incident.
The exchange added an unexpected moment to the postgame coverage of a tightly contested game between the Rattlers and Hornets. Florida A&M escaped with a 28-27 victory, but the interview interruption and Gray’s subsequent apology became another storyline surrounding the win.
