Source: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images / Getty
A viral video recorded of an apparently one-sided fistfight involving a single band member at a football game played between two HBCUs has sparked an investigation.
The incident occurred on Saturday when Jackson State University hosted Texas Southern University for a game in Mississippi’s capital city in a matchup between longtime SWAC rivals.
But while most of the action was on the field, there were at least 10 seconds in the stands that captured the attention of social media.
Without any context, a brief clip that has been shared thousands of times on social media shows an unidentified man standing up with his back to the game in stadium seating while appearing to speak contentiously toward a Texas Southern University Ocean of Souls Marching Band member who was playing the tuba as the rest of the troupe also performed.
The clip has no audio, so it’s neither clear what the man is saying nor what song the band is performing.
But what was crystal clear is that whatever the man said to the tuba player wasn’t something the musician was trying to hear as the band member responded in kind with a swift four-piece barrage of right-hand punches to the man’s face.
That’s when another person wearing a Texas Southern band uniform stepped in to intervene and quickly escorted the unidentified man, appearing to be dazed, back to his seat nearby without further incident – at least not one that was preserved on video.
The tuba player literally didn’t miss a beat and quickly resumed playing.
Watch how the incident played out below.
https://twitter.com/theekaylan/status/1721000897784828340?s=20
Now, Texas Southern has vowed to look into the incident and beef up security measures to protect band members from any possible similar confrontations in the future, according to KHOU, which published the HBCU’s remarks following news of the fight in the stands.
“Texas Southern University is aware of an incident involving a member of the Ocean of Soul marching band during a recent away game. The incident is under investigation,” Texas Southern said in a statement. “The University is implementing additional measures to ensure the safety of all band members during performances.”
The topic of security at HBCUs has been paramount in recent weeks, particularly during homecoming season where there have been a series of shootings on Black college campuses.
Over the course of three consecutive weekends last month, HBCU homecoming festivities were marred by gun violence on at least four separate campuses.
That includes the fatal shooting of a Jackson State student on Oct. 15 on the school’s campus hours after a separate instance of gunfire broke out on campus leaving two people who are not students with non-life-threatening injuries.
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