The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference admitted Friday that its officials made a costly officiating error in Morgan State?s 25-17 loss to Delaware State last weekend. What the league will do about it remains to be seen.
“We did take a look at the tape,” MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas said. “It revealed that the young man passed the goal line with the ball in possesion. The next step, is we are going to review Morgan State?s request and have a statement in the very near future.”
Thomas declined to elaborate on exactly when the statement would come, or whether there would be any reprucussions, simply saying to expect something “within the next several days.”
Morgan State filed a petition with the league earlier in the week to review the film that featured several controversial calls, calling for the league to rule the game a no-contest, and remove the game from both school?s records.
“There?s always a chance,” Morgan State Athletic Director Floyd Kerr said. “We felt very strongly that we had to make a recomendation to the commissioner based on the evidence.”
If the game was removed from both team?s records, Morgan State (4-4 overall, 3-2 MEAC) would be only one game back in the loss column of Delaware State (6-1, 5-0) in the conference. While the Bears would not control their own destiny and chances of winning their first conference title in 28 years and first-ever berth in the 16-team Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, a ruling of a no-contest would certainly put them back in the picture.
Morgan State hosts Florida A&M (2-5, 1-4) at 4 p.m. today at Hughes Stadium. After that the Bears host Norfolk State (6-1, 5-0) next week and end their season at South Carolina State (4-3, 3-1) on Nov. 11.
“It?s a delicate situation, but it has happened before all over the country, so you see it virtually every Saturday,” Thomas said. “It is a sensitive situation and unfortunate for Morgan State.”
