African American Music Society Talks Back
By: Richard Donald Jones
Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: Sports
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When the Grambling State University Tigers face the University of Pittsburgh Panthers this Saturday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh it will be "Déjà vu all over again" for Grambling alumnus Winston Gragg.
You see, Gragg claims to not only have conceived the idea of an annual "Diversity Game" pitting the Panthers against a rotating historically Black university team. (Grambling was to be the opponent for at least the first two years) but says he presented the idea to the Pittsburgh athletic department and in the process helped negotiate a quarter million-dollar payday for Grambling.
And how, according to Gragg, did the athletic programs that in the past have produced likes of Dan Marino and Doug Williams thank him for his two years of hard work? Gragg claims that after reaching an agreement on a payday Grambling told him he was on his own and Pittsburgh added injury to insult by reneging on an agreed charitable donation then informing the Pittsburgh native that if he wanted to attend the game he would need to purchase a ticket.
If that was all to the story it would be easy to dismiss Gragg's claims and lump him along with the guy in Texas who claims to have "invented" High School Musical or the Florida man who alleges Disney lifted "Hannah Montana" from his fertile imagination.
But Gragg brings more to the table than an active imagination and a vaguely similar story of teenage angst.
Gragg has a timeline, memos, phone records, a member of the Rooney family (owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers) who admits being present at meetings with Gragg and the university, a Pittsburgh City Councilman who says he put Gragg in touch with officials from Heinz Field and the same Heinz Field official who told this writer that he did indeed bring Gragg to a meeting with the university where the initial details were outlined.
Best of all Gragg has a lawyer, a white University of Pittsburgh graduate who this week will file 1.6 million dollar suit against both universities alleging among other claims fraud and conversion.
You see, Gragg claims to not only have conceived the idea of an annual "Diversity Game" pitting the Panthers against a rotating historically Black university team. (Grambling was to be the opponent for at least the first two years) but says he presented the idea to the Pittsburgh athletic department and in the process helped negotiate a quarter million-dollar payday for Grambling.
And how, according to Gragg, did the athletic programs that in the past have produced likes of Dan Marino and Doug Williams thank him for his two years of hard work? Gragg claims that after reaching an agreement on a payday Grambling told him he was on his own and Pittsburgh added injury to insult by reneging on an agreed charitable donation then informing the Pittsburgh native that if he wanted to attend the game he would need to purchase a ticket.
If that was all to the story it would be easy to dismiss Gragg's claims and lump him along with the guy in Texas who claims to have "invented" High School Musical or the Florida man who alleges Disney lifted "Hannah Montana" from his fertile imagination.
But Gragg brings more to the table than an active imagination and a vaguely similar story of teenage angst.
Gragg has a timeline, memos, phone records, a member of the Rooney family (owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers) who admits being present at meetings with Gragg and the university, a Pittsburgh City Councilman who says he put Gragg in touch with officials from Heinz Field and the same Heinz Field official who told this writer that he did indeed bring Gragg to a meeting with the university where the initial details were outlined.
Best of all Gragg has a lawyer, a white University of Pittsburgh graduate who this week will file 1.6 million dollar suit against both universities alleging among other claims fraud and conversion.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Tony Searight
posted 9/18/07 @ 6:20 AM CST
As a board member of Mr. Gragg's AAMA, I,ve attended many of the meetings in Pittsburgh.
I have faith that Mr. Gragg will get HIS DUE and most surely those in so call power will get what THEY DESERVE!!!!
John Saade
posted 9/19/07 @ 5:29 PM CST
Beware of those that smile in your face and then hide behind those sheepish smiles with deceit in their heart. Mr. Gragg put a lot of time and effort into this, only to be taken advantage by those that "think" they are above the rest. (Continued…)
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