Jackson State head football coach Deion Sanders has triggered the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to issue a statement after making comments about the conference’s future.
“Personally, I wish the MEAC would fold up like a tent and just come on so we could really do this thing like the SEC,” Sanders said to media members during Friday’s Orange Blossom Classic press conference. “That’s my hope. That’s my dream. I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen no time expeditiously.”
Also read: Deion Sanders has visions of merger with MEAC to form HBCU super conference
The MEAC, currently a six-team conference, has experienced an exodus of former members leaving for other leagues over the past few years, with Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M being the most recent to leave the conference to join the SWAC.
On Saturday, the MEAC issued the following statement:
“The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has just completed a successful 50th anniversary recognizing our former student-athletes and coaches and the impact they have made in their communities and the professional ranks. The conference’s membership has a rich history of academic and athletic excellence and is committed to its long-term sustainability. The MEAC has strong national leadership in its presidents and chancellors and is aware and involved in the current issues facing the NCAA. We wish Coach Sanders, his student-athletes and his program well this season. The MEAC will have no further comment on this matter.”
Sanders and his Jackson State squad will open the season Sunday at 2 p.m. against Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Sunday’s matchup also marks the Rattlers’ season opener and conference debut as a member of the SWAC.
