Yes, they knew their vote had no power and were doing it for publicity - bad publicity. If they had a clue about what they were talking about, they would have known, that just dropping the football team to 1AA was not a realistic possibility given the implications to other sports. Secondly, SS could not come out and condemn their remarks or vote without looking like a jerk and was forced to make the football program look bad, instead. It was incredibly unprofessional and they acted in their own best interests, not those of the students or university. It was selfish and childish. How do you think the football players, band, cheerleaders, equipment managers, and other students who support the program feel about the faculty now? If I were a prospective student that type of garbage would be a huger turn-off.