The game, which was originally slated to be played in Durham, N.C. at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, comes to the Classic which has featured Hampton and Morgan State over the past few years. In last year's game between the two, N.C. Central defeated Elizabeth City 17-14 via a last second, 51-yard field goal.

For more than 30 years, The Whitney Young Football Classic has benefited the New York Urban League Scholarship Fund and Education Programs. To date this has helped 4,034 students with over $20,165,000 in scholarships, thus providing them the opportunity to attend the college of their choice. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic record, community service, a written essay, and personal interviews with each candidate.

This year's match-up will feature two teams that are coming off historic seasons on the gridiron.

With their victory over the Vikings in the CIAA title game in Durham, N.C. last year, the NCCU Eagles won their second consecutive CIAA Football Championship under then head coach Rod Broadway. The Eagles were then declared the 2006 Sheridan Broadcasting Network Black College Football National Champions, the school's first such title in 33 years. The Eagles posted a perfect 11-0 regular season record, the best in school history. After the season, Broadway resigned to become the head coach at Grambling State. Broadway's offensive coordinator, Mose Rison, is the Eagles' new head coach.

The ECSU Vikings rolled through their CIAA schedule with a perfect 7-0 conference record earning their first appearance in the championship game since winning the title in 1971. ECSU earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs (first appearance since 1981) and hosted their first ever playoff game at Roebuck Stadium (Delta State). They finished the season with a 9-3 mark, the best record in school history, and Coach Waverly Tillar was tapped as the 2006 CIAA Coach of the Year.

According to the story, Brown's attorneys, Glenn Walters and Bentz Kirby, said they planned to file suit against the school for "breach of contract, breach of contract with fraud, civil conspiracy, interference with a contractual relationship by an unnamed party and defamation."

At the root of the proposed suit are details of an alleged unprofessional relationship between Brown and a female student trainer. An investigation into that relationship by the school led to a temporary suspension of Brown's coaching duties during the latter part of the 2006-07 season. That suspension lasted for about a week before Brown was re-instated.

After the season, Brown was terminated from his four-year contract for what the school publicly termed "impeding a Title IX investigation and violating the school's obligations under Title IX."

According to Sunday's story in The State, SCSU President Andrew Hugine "privately accused Brown of lying about alleged inappropriate conduct with a female student trainer and attempting to coerce witnesses to corroborate his defense, statements more in line with a sexual harassment investigation than any Title IX violation."

The State, citing Freedom of Information documents it obtained, and "anonymous sources close to the investigation," goes on to outline how "vitriolic" the relationship between Brown and the school became prior to his dismissal.

Among the details outlined in the story is that there was no formal complaint filed by anyone against the coach. The relationship apparently came to light because of an anonymous tip to a school trustee. Brown's attorneys asserted that because there was no formal complaint, there was no basis for the investigation. After the school's initial investigation was termed inconclusive, Brown was re-instated on Feb. 9 and completed the season as head coach.

The story goes on to state that the subsequent revelation of the student's name caused her further distress and led the school to pursue a "new tact to get rid of Brown. The school's attorneys became convinced that the resulting anguish was a sufficient violation of the woman's Title IX rights to force Brown's termination. On Feb. 22, the school reiterated an earlier request that Brown submit to a polygraph exam. With no claim having been filed and no active investigation taking place, Brown refused."

Subsequent negotiations resulted in a stand-off that led to a face-to-face meeting between Brown and Hugine on March 27, that the story said did not go well. Two days later, Brown was terminated.

Among the items The State obtained were letters between the school's attorneys and Brown's and statements included in those letters attributed to the student trainer. The newspaper also obtained Brown's cell phone records which included calls to the female trainer on numerous occasions while on road trips.

"Roy tested the waters, but has decided to return for his final year of collegiate competition," said Jackson. "We welcome his return because he is definitely a strong competitor and he will give us the needed leadership.

Bright finished tied with 2007 MEAC Player of the Year Jahsha Bluntt as the Hornets leading scorer and rebounder with a 15.5 scoring average and 4.9 rebounds per game. He was named to the MEAC All-Tournament team and was selected to the All-MEAC second team.

Bluntt, who finished his eligibility this season, declared for the 2006 Draft following his junior season but also decided to forego the draft and return to DSU.

Bright helped the Hornets to a 21-13 record and their third straight MEAC regular season championship, which garnered them their third consecutive post season appearance. They lost a first round NIT game.

© 2007 Azeez Communications, Inc.

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