Grambling State head football coach Mickey Joseph wasn’t a fan of the officiating in his team’s 24-17 loss to Texas Southern on Saturday. Joseph didn’t mince words in his critique of the officiating during Monday’s SWAC Coaches Call.
“I think it’s some bullsh*t calls,” Joseph said.
Per Joseph in his opening statement, the penalties that his team was accessed didn’t make sense to him after he got a chance to look at the film.
“I’ve got to see what’s going on with these penalties,” Joseph said as part of his opening statement. “When I look at the film it’s not making sense. It feels like they’re making business decisions with their feelings. I’ve got to figure out how to get past that. As a grown man, I don’t know how to get past that with other grown men, why they’re making decisions with their feelings. It puts us in a bad situation, but I’ve got to be a better head coach.”
Joseph was defiant in his take on the officials, even saying that he didn’t care if he ultimately was fined for his comments.
“They can take it the way they want to take it. They can fine me they can do what they want it’s some bullsh*t calls.”
The SWAC ultimately did fine Joseph, as his comments violated Section II, Article 12, Item I (Causes for Imposition of a Penalty) of the SWAC Constitution, Bylaws, and Sports Regulations per a statement by the conference on Monday afternoon following the Coaches Call.
But, Joseph wasn’t worried about the fine as he said during his comments.
“I will stop right there with that. I know they’re going to shoot me a fine. I’ve got the money to pay it. So, bury it.”
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Joseph’s Grambling team did suffer heavy penalties on Saturday, as they were penalized seven times for 104 yards. For the year the team has suffered 66 penalties that have amounted to 646 yards.
But, penalties aren’t the only issue facing the Tigers as they reach the end of October. The team has lost three of it’s past four games to divisional contenders, putting a damper on their hopes to win the SWAC West and make a SWAC Championship appearance. The team faces consecutive SWAC East opponents in Bethune-Cookman, Alabama State, and Alabama A&M before ending their season against Southern University in the Bayou Classic.
And they’ll attempt to salvage the season without starting quarterback Myles Crawley, who was injured in the game and, per Joseph’s comments on the coach’s call, is set to be out for two to three weeks. Joseph and his coaching staff will need to get creative with how they’ll put together their offensive attack with the SWAC Preseason Player of the Year on the shelf.
Grambling heads to Daytona Beach to face off against Bethune-Cookman University on Saturday.