News editor
The football game between Tabor College and McPherson College scheduled for Oct. 20 in McPherson was canceled Thursday, said Scott Crawford, commissioner of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
The decision follows the death of Tabor College junior Brandon Brown from a beating Sept. 16 in McPherson. Brown was a redshirt junior on the Tabor football team after transferring from Santa Ana College in California.
Tabor College Athletic Director Rusty Allen said the decision was a mutual one made by the two schools with support of KCAC. He said three factors were involved in the decision to cancel the game: a desire to honor Brown’s memory, to respect the needs of the ongoing criminal investigation into Brown’s death, and to avoid problems that could arise between the teams or fans.
“I don’t think we wanted to risk anything happening that would dishonor Brandon or his family, or our schools for that matter,” Allen said.
Two former McPherson College football players, Alton Lamont Franklin and DeQuinte Oshea Flournoy, are charged with aiding and abetting murder in the second degree in Brown’s death.