Free of any regret, the players of the Grambling State University Tigers football team have decided to end their boycott and will practice Monday, USA Today reported.

In the statement, the players said they consulted with former head coach Doug Williams, who was fired in Sept. Interim coach George Ragsdale was "reassigned" within the athletic department during the players' boycott and was replaced by defensive coordinator Dennis Winston.

Williams told USA Today Friday he was "proud of them boys" because "they took a stance." However, according to the players' statement, Williams advised the team to "go out there and play football."

The Tigers players were reportedly unhappy with the way the team was being handled, as if the school did not care for them. Last Tuesday, Ragsdale (while he was still interim coach) and his team met with the school's athletic director Aaron James and Grambling State president Frank Pogue.

During the meeting, players were informed they would have to travel by bus to distant games in Indianapolis and Kansas City. Already displeased with the poor quality of the facilities and equipment and the turmoil surrounding the head coaching position, the meeting turned negative.

School spokesman Will Sutton confirmed some players left before it was over and, the next day, not one player showed up to practice. The same thing happened Thursday and Friday, when it came time to board the buses for their game against Jackson State, only 22 players showed up. Unable to field a team, Grambling forfeited their game and was reportedly fined by the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Winston said Monday during a SWAC teleconference that none of his players had left the team as a result of their weeklong revolt. He said the entire team will be in attendance at Monday's practice.

Williams was fired just two games into the season, which were both losses. Under Ragsdale, the team lost its next five games and, in what was supposed to be Winston's first game as interim coach, the Tigers forfeited. They are now 0-8.

Below is the Tigers players' full statement, as obtained by USA Toady.

To Whom It May Concern:

As part of the athletic program at Grambling State University, the football team, took a stance on what we thought was right. We did not quit on our university. There are many problems that exist and if no one says anything, nothing will come of our institution. We hope Coach Eddie Robinson and his legendary players can appreciate that we stood up for what we thought was right. After coming into contact with different sources, we decided to reach out to the one person we trusted, Coach Doug Williams, with our concerns. His main statement to us was, "Go out there and play football." He also put us in contact with Jim Bernhard out of Baton Rouge. A meeting was held with Mr. Bernhard as well as, Douglas Porter, Ezil Bibbs, Roy Jackson, Henry Dyer and Howard Davis. The meeting confirmed him [Jim Bernhard] as being committed with our best intentions at heart and that he would ensure we had updated facilities, but we had to agree to being back practicing Monday, October 21 and finish the remainder of our season. Although we are going to continue our season, we have not forgotten the situation and how we've gotten here. We would like to say thank you to Coach Williams, the Legends and Mr. Jim Bernhard. Grambling has given us the opportunity to be a part of its legacy and we are only looking to improve conditions for the university and future student-athletes.

Thank you

Naquan Smith