NEW ORLEANS -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference has suspended the entire athletics program at Prairie View A&M University for an indefinite period of time because of the school mandating that it would never again play one of the conference members and because of the university allowing its marching band to perform on October 3 contrary to a conference ruling.
The suspension means that none of the teams from the SWAC will be permitted to play Prairie View A&M again in any sport until, and whenever, the suspension is lifted. The suspension takes effect immediately.
"We were extremely disappointed to see Prairie View A&M blatantly disregard the rules and regulations of the Southwestern Athletic Conference," said Rudy Washington, the commissioner of the SWAC. "Because of this, we had no alternative but to assess this severe penalty."
The marching bands from Prairie View A&M and Southern were ordered not to perform at the next two games following their September 19 incident. Accordingly, PVAMU's band was required to not perform at its September 26 game at Langston University as well as its October 3 game with Grambling State University in Dallas, Tex. SU's band, meanwhile, was required not to perform at its September 26 game with Alabama State University as well as its October 3 game with Mississippi Valley State University, both in Baton Rouge, La. Southern observed the sanction handed down from the SWAC but Prairie View A&M elected to let its band perform in Dallas despite the ruling from the SWAC.
"We attempted to work with officials of Prairie View A&M, even to the point of paving the way to possibly let the band perform on October 3 if certain conditions were met," said Washington.
Four conditions were offered to Prairie View A&M which could have led to a lifting of the October 3 suspension against its marching band: (A) The school would have had to not allow its band to perform at its October 10 homecoming game against Alcorn State; (B) School officials would have been required to open up a dialog with officials from Southern relative to safety and security matters; (C) PVAMU's president would have had to retract a letter sent to school administrators directing them to never again play Southern in any sport and that it would forfeit all such contests that appear on its various team schedules; and (D) The PVAMU president and his staff would have been required to attend the 1998 SWAC Winter Meetings.
Washington said the school chose not to accept the four conditions, meaning that the suspension of the band remained for Saturday's game in Dallas. Additionally, Washington pointed out that if the suspension had been lifted for Prairie View A&M's band for October 3, Southern's band would have also been given the option of sitting out an alternate game.
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