After Howard’s 26-3 loss to North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, North Carolina, a brawl broke out between the two teams as the Bison attempted to leave the field, which resulted in punches, helmets getting thrown and Howard players allegedly being maced by campus police.
The aftermath of the brawl led to 17 Howard players, 19 NCCU players and an assistant coach from both teams being suspended from one game following an investigation by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
Eyewitnesses said the altercation intensified as Howard’s team was prohibited from exiting the field due to a locked gate.
The Howard Athletic Department declined to comment on the situation, but Howard Athletic Director Kery Davis released a statement regarding the incident.
“This incident does not reflect the values of Howard University,” he said. “Our football program is rooted in respect, sportsmanship, fairness and pride. We expect our student-athletes to embody these principles, even under challenging circumstances.”
Andra Morris, an attendee, said the Howard players were able to enter and exit their gate seamlessly throughout the first three quarters, but it was locked after the fourth quarter.
“Howard had nowhere to go, to be very honest with you. So instead of North Carolina going diagonally back across the field and exiting, they proceeded to back our players up into a corner,” she said.
She spoke about how things escalated after this incident.
“We were screaming, ‘what is going on?’ One of my parents went down there. He picked that gate up and it broke loose so the players could get away,” she said.
Myra Lewis, a senior Howard student and member of the “Ooh La La!” dance line recounted the chaos as it unfolded.
“All of a sudden, you see two helmets flying off of people’s heads. They were fighting, pepper spraying, all those types of things,” she said. “Well, the part that was really scary…they started running into the cheerleaders saying crazy things to them.”
In addition to the unidentified officer who maced a player, Morris alleged the NCCU police did not assist in de-escalating the fight and contributed to the debacle.
“Why wasn’t the police down there trying to get that gate open so we could get out of there? They didn’t do any of that. They waited till the last minute, and then they started, I’ll just say they started attacking our players,” she said.
When asked about these allegations, the NCCU police declined to comment.
Following the incident, the MEAC released a statement.
“We are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all student-athletes, coaches and fans. Any actions that compromise these principles will result in serious consequences,” MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills said in the statement. “We expect all participants in MEAC athletic events to conduct themselves with dignity and uphold the high standards that reflect the spirit of the MEAC.”
Copy edited by Jalyn Lovelady
