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College football game relocated from St. Louis just days before kickoff due to ‘unfulfilled contractual obligations’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Quite a messy scenario has played out involving a pair of HBCU programs forced to relocate a planned showcase game from St. Louis to an on-campus site, just 4 days before it was scheduled to take place.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alabama A&M were originally set to play on Sunday in the St. Louis River City HBCU Football Classic, which was to be held at the Dome at America’s Center — the original home of the St. Louis Rams before their relocation to Los Angeles.
However, on Wednesday, the game was suddenly announced to have been relocated to the UAPB campus, according to FBSchedules.com.
“Unfulfilled contractual obligations by the organizers of the St. Louis Classic” led to concern about lodging, transportation, and “whether other agreed-upon expenses would be covered,” Chris Robinson, UAPB’s athletic director, said while explaining the reason for the move.
The good news is that both schools were able to come to an agreement to play the game in Pine Bluff on relatively short notice. But needless to say, this isn’t a good look for the event’s organizers in St. Louis, especially after all the planning of the part of the student-athletes, their family members, and countless others connected to the 2 universities that were set to make the trip.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
