The Southwestern Athletic Conference has opened an investigation into an allegation that Jackson State players and coaches had access to game-week practice film of Arkansas-Pine Bluff prior to the teams’ game on Nov. 2, according to SWAC spokesperson Andrew Roberts.
The allegation came to light Oct. 31, two days before Jackson State’s 41-3 win. A UAPB player informed the coaching staff he was told by a Jackson State player that Tigers defensive players were in the Jackson State team facility watching practice film of UAPB from that week, sources told ESPN.
After receiving this information, UAPB coach Alonzo Hampton logged into the software program the team uses to upload and review practice footage and saw that it had been accessed by the account of a former walk-on who had been cut in the spring, sources said. The IP address connected to the account when it accessed the practice video was assigned to Clinton, Mississippi, a town that neighbors Jackson, sources said.
A Jackson State spokesperson gave a statement to ESPN on Friday saying the school had offered “full transparency into our program” following the allegations. The spokesperson said no violations were found and that the matter was closed.
The SWAC spokesperson, however, said the investigation remained opened after the conference received new information into the matter.
A UAPB spokesperson acknowledged he was aware of an investigation but declined comment. Hampton did not reply to a text message or a call from ESPN.
The former walk-on told ESPN that he was contacted by Hampton and UAPB athletic director Chris Robinson on Oct. 31. The former player spoke with ESPN on the condition his name would not be published, citing a desire to limit blowback in his direction.
“[Hampton] let me know that my film has been accessed and I had logged in, and then he said he got word that Jackson State had been using the film,” the player said. “He was persistent in thinking that I had released the film, and I repeated, ‘No, I didn’t release anything to Jackson State.'”
Shortly after the former player spoke with Hampton, he received a call from Robinson in which he again denied having provided a password to anyone at Jackson State. ESPN reviewed the player’s phone log to confirm the calls took place.
The player reaffirmed to ESPN that he did not share his credentials with anyone at Jackson State but said he had shared that information with teammates at UAPB in the past and that there was a loose culture around sharing login information within the team.
The former player said he has not been contacted by the SWAC as part of its investigation.
He said he first received access to the software in spring 2023 and was not aware his credentials were still active until Hampton called him. It’s unclear why UAPB had not removed his access after he was no longer on the team.
A source familiar with the video-sharing software cautioned against using the IP address as some kind of proof that the film was accessed near Jackson, as various measures can be used to alter the location of an IP address. The software has a security feature that would have allowed UAPB to limit access for each account to specific devices, but it was not used.
Jackson State (9-2, 7-0 SWAC) was a heavy favorite against UAPB (3-8, 2-5) and held the Golden Lions to their worst offensive performance since being shutout by Arkansas in the season opener.
Jackson State clinched a spot in the SWAC title game on Saturday with a 16-10 win over Alabama State, after which a postgame altercation between the teams led to fines of $25,000 for both schools and 16 one-game player suspensions, including seven on Jackson State.
Former LSU receiver Kyren Lacy, who was found dead Saturday night in Houston, died in an apparent suicide in his car while being pursued by authorities, according to a Harris County (Texas) sheriff’s report released Sunday.
According to Harris County authorities, police responded to a call from a female family member who said Lacy had discharged a firearm into the ground during a verbal argument late Saturday night. When they arrived on the scene, they learned that the suspect, Lacy, had fled in a vehicle.
Authorities say their pursuit of Lacy ended when he crashed. They say that when officers approached the vehicle to extract Lacy, he had died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Lacy, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders. He had been facing criminal charges stemming from a fatal car accident in Louisiana in December.
“We’re saddened to learn of the tragic passing of former LSU football student-athlete Kyren Lacy,” LSU said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones, as well as his former teammates and coaches impacted by his passing.”
In a social media post Sunday, Lacy’s father, Kenny Lacy, urged parents to check on their children’s mental health from an early age.
“Our lives have changed forever and this will never be ok, but God needed my baby more than he was needed here,” Kenny Lacy wrote on Facebook. “This has to be the biggest pill our families have had to swallow but I know the love and compassion in our families will get us through.”
Kyren Lacy was accused of causing a crash that killed a 78-year-old man Dec. 17 and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities. On Jan. 12, he turned himself in to authorities, was jailed and then released on $151,000 bail, according to police records.
Lafourche (Louisiana) Parish Sheriff’s Office records indicated that Lacy was charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle. A grand jury was to begin hearing evidence in the case Monday.
“It is with profound sorrow that we confirm the tragic passing of Kyren Lacy. First and foremost, we ask that the public and the media give his family the space and time they need to grieve this unimaginable loss in peace,” Lacy’s attorney, Matthew Ory, said in a statement to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.
Ory added that he was “very confident the evidence, after being fully collected and reviewed, would lead to a declination of charges” and that “we will be demanding a full and transparent review of how this investigation was conducted and why.”
Lacy declared for the NFL draft Dec. 19, two days after the crash, and did not play in LSU’s win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl. He participated in March at LSU’s pro day and was ranked as high as the No. 6 receiver prospect in the draft by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. in December. Lacy was not ranked among the top 10 available wide receivers in Kiper’s most recent Big Board, which was published last month.
Lacy played three seasons at LSU after starting his career at Louisiana. Lacy had his best season last year when he caught 58 passes for 866 yards and a team-leading nine touchdowns.
