ATLANTA — The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) has announced suspensions and institutional fines stemming from a postgame altercation that transpired between the Fort Valley State University and Central State University football teams on Saturday, October 4.
“Acts of unsportsmanlike conduct have no place in intercollegiate athletics or within the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference,” said SIAC Commissioner Anthony Holloman, Ed.D. “I am extremely disappointed that this event has overshadowed what was otherwise a very competitive football game.”
The conference will continue working with its member institutions to implement policies and procedures designed to deter this type of behavior. The SIAC will also continue to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for all acts deemed to be unsportsmanlike.
After conducting a comprehensive investigation, it was determined that both institutions violated the league’s code of ethics and conduct by engaging in acts of unsportsmanlike behavior.
Twenty student-athletes, nine from Fort Valley State and eleven from Central State, have been suspended for their next contest as a result of their involvement in the altercation. Both head coaches will also serve a one-game suspension. Additionally, in accordance with league bylaws and sports regulations, the conference office has fined each institution an undisclosed amount.
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.