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Jackson State didn’t have any trouble beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a game the Tigers were firmly expected to win at the start of November. However, things have taken an interesting turn now that the SWAC is investigating UAPB’s claims a former walk-on may have leaked practice film to their opponents ahead of the showdown.
The Conor Stalions scandal that unfolded last year was just the latest reminder of the undercurrent of espionage that flows beneath the college football world. Teams are always on the hunt to gain an edge over their opponents, and plenty of people are more than happy to throw pesky morals and ethics to the win in search of one.
It didn’t seem like Jackson State really needed any unsavory help heading into their game against Arkansas Pine Bluff earlier this season. The 6-2 Tigers were 24-point favorites to beat the Golden Lions on November 2nd, and they more than covered the spread while cruising to a 41-3 victory.
However, ESPN reports we have a fresh new scandal on our hands now that the SWAC has launched an investigation into claims Jackson State managed to obtain UAPB practice footage that was filmed in the week leading up to the contest—and there’s evidence that suggests a jilted former player may have been involved.
The outlet says a UAPB player informed one of his coaches he’d spoken to guys on the team at Jackson State who told him they’d watched the practice footage during a team meeting on Halloween.
UAPB head coach Alonzo Hampton subsequently scoured the logs on the platform where the team hosts the film and discovered a walk-on who was cut from the Golden Lions in the spring had signed in with an IP address that pegged his location in Clinton, Mississippi—around a 15-minute drive from the Jackson State campus.
Hampton contacted the unnamed player to accuse him of “infiltrating” the portal and sharing the video with Jackson State before he denied the accusations.
He continued to proclaim his innocence after being contacted by ESPN, saying he’d shared his log-in information with some of his teammates while suggesting someone else had used it (UAPB somehow failed to revoke his access after he was cut from the team).
UAPB brought the leak to the attention of the SWAC and the conference confirmed it had launched an official investigation into the matter on Thursday.
Jackson State is currently sitting at 9-2 and has already secured a spot in the conference championship game, while a 3-8 UAPB squad will see its season come to an end against Texas Southern on Saturday.