Morgan State University won its first college football game in more than two months on Saturday, but the victory was marred by pregame melee. It did not involved the on-field opponents, it involved the opposing band.
A video posted to Facebook on Saturday shows the bizarre incident unfold.
Morgan State’s football team and Norfolk State’s Spartan Legion Marching Band passed each other under the stands of Dick Price Stadium. At that point, according to HBCU Gameday, one of the players was hit by a flagpole. Things only escalated from there.
A confrontation that began as pushing and shoving quickly turned ugly when at least one player threw punches at a band member. This went on for several seconds as a second player got involved.
The two sides were eventually separated, and the afternoon’s festivities continued as planned.
The Bears went on to spoil Norfolk State’s Homecoming game with a late rally, which broke a losing streak that dated back to the 2022 season. However, all of the positive that came with the victory was partially overshadowed by the dust-up before kickoff.
Apart from the positive aspects of the game and its outcome, it has come to our attention that during the day’s activities, an incident transpired resulting in an altercation between parties from both universities, particularly involving members of the football team and the Spartan band. This matter is currently being investigated and will result in any appropriate actions needed to be taken.
What transpired off the field is not reflective of what Morgan State University stands for or the core values it upholds. Our student-athletes are committed to behaving in a manner consistent with the expectations at the National Treasure.
— Morgan State University
Norfolk State chose not to issue a statement about what happened. Perhaps it thought that the video says all that needs to be said.
The incident occurred on Saturday. As of Thursday afternoon, neither school has issued an update.
Morgan State has not announced any suspensions. It has not provided any further information about the findings of its investigation.
Often times, at HBCUs, the battle of the bands is more important than the game itself. The bands are just as much a part of game day as the football teams. Thus, in this instance, the tension was running high on Homecoming and the two sides met in the same location at the same time which led to a fight.
Perhaps moving forward, Norfolk State will ensure that the opponents and its bands do not cross.