FAMU selected to win SWAC East after rap video

Jul 25, 2023, 05:59 PM ET

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.– Jackson State is no longer the Southwestern Athletic Conference front-runner. And Florida A&M has something to speak about aside from a locker space rap video.Coaches and sports info directors selected Florida A&M to win the East Division in voting released Tuesday at SWAC media day in Birmingham, Alabama. Jackson State and then-coach Deion Sanders have actually been the dominant team the previous 2 years.The favored status came a couple of

days after Florida A&M had actually prohibited its players from the group’s facilities after a rap video including some players was shot in the locker space without appropriate permission.Florida A&M athletic director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes permitted the team to resume all

activities starting Tuesday, coinciding with media day. She will not talk about the occurrence up until the university’s examination is complete.Coach Willie Simmons resolved it with his group on Monday.”They’re resilient. We’ve seen our reasonable share of difficulty and

this will not be our last one,”Simmons stated Tuesday.

“We speak to our men all the time about how we react to the obstacles that we deal with. However for us it has to do with growing as a football team.Editor’s Picks 2 Related “Part of our task as coaches is simply to lead and to teach and every moment is an opportunity to teach, which’s what we take a look at this minute as.”The rap artist in

the video is Real Boston Richey, who is from Tallahassee, where Florida A&M’s campus lies. Richey, whose genuine name is Jalen Foster, performed at Florida A&M’s homecoming game last season.SWAC Commissioner Charles McLelland said he spoke to Sykes about the situation on Sunday which the school has actually handled it”magnificently.” “At any time you suspend football activities, it is a concern with the

conference workplace, “McLelland stated.” But we have actually dealt with them every step of the way.”We feel one hundred percent confident that they have actually handled it in the way in which it need to be handled and we are confident that they are going to have the ability to progress and that everybody is going to learn from this example of what happened there with the locker room and the video and the material of the video. “The Rattlers, who were 9-2 last season, and quarterback Jeremy Moussa, have high expectations this season. Moussa was named preseason SWAC offensive player of the year, while Grambling State lineman Sundiata Anderson was selected as preseason defensive player of the year.Southern was chosen to

duplicate as SWAC West Division champion.The race for the title is presumably more open with the changes at Jackson State.Sanders left for Colorado, along with star quarterback and son Shedeur Sanders and two-way standout Travis Hunter, among others, as part of an exodus of talent. Jackson State was still chosen 2nd in the East Division, behind FAMU, which got 16 first-place votes while the Tigers and 3

other teams got two apiece.” They didn’t simply fall off the face of the earth due to the fact that Deion Sanders left, “Alabama A&M coach Connell Maynor stated of Jackson State.” They have actually still got a great deal of excellent football players over there. They’re still going to be great. “The two-time defending champion Tigers went 23-3 the previous 2 seasons, beating league opponents by an average of 30 points last season.New coach T.C. Taylor, a former Jackson State player and assistant coach, said the staying Tigers have a desire”to show everybody what we’re made from.”” Everybody understands that we had a great deal of turnover on our roster,”Taylor said.”You can lose a quarterback like Shedeur Sanders, an incredible player like Travis Hunter. You understand, teams begin to look at them and believe that, they’re going to struggle this year. But I understand I have actually seen it every day, our

football team, what we bring to the table this year, how the men have approached it every day.”Florida A&M and Jackson State face off Sunday, Sept. 3 at Hard Rock Stadium

in Miami Gardens, Florida. Jackson State won 59-3 last season.