GREENSBORO N.C.
Moments after North Carolina Central claimed victory over rival North Carolina A&T, the Eagle players decided on a celebration that would lead to a bench-clearing, helmet-swinging brawl.
The fight so enraged A&T athletics director DeLores “Dee” Todd that she said the two schools likely would take a “cooling-off period” from continuing the series.
“I’m disgusted. It’s very disgusting,” Todd told The News & Observer of Raleigh after seeing the Eagles players jump on the Aggies’ midfield logo. “It’s a game, why do that?”
The fight lasted several minutes and left dozens of players lying on the field. Police from both schools ran in after several minutes and broke up the fight using pepper spray. An NCCU player lay on the ground outside of the locker room vomiting after the fight as trainers worked feverishly to wash out his eyes.
In the emotion of the game-saving interception by Eagles linebacker Eric Ray (whose twin brother Derrick scored earlier on an interception return), the NCCU players stormed the field and began jumping on the logo.
After the game, Todd demanded her coaches sequester the Aggies in the locker room until the Eagles had departed.
