"We were too hungry to get in there and battle those big country boys full of ham and kale."

Link: "We were too hungry to get in there and battle those big country boys full of ham and kale."

Dave Zirin points out that the Grambling State football team’s refusal to play is hardly unprecedented. In 1936, Howard University’s football team refused to take the field in protest of not receiving any food from the school. In that case, it appears members of the student body actively supported players in the protest.

Zirin also notes that the All Players United protests this season could easily take on a new tenor, given the revelations of how Grambling’s team has been treated, and that much of this conflict can be traced back to Louisiana’s state-level budget cuts.