Fullerton Players May Boycott Oct. 17 Game : Titans: They want school to make quick decision on football program’s future.

Cal State Fullerton football players, frustrated over the uncertainty of their program’s future, are considering a boycott of the Oct. 17 game at Southwestern Louisiana as a way to pressure school President Milton A. Gordon into making a quick decision about the sport’s fate.

Titan Coach Gene Murphy called off practice Wednesday after players met with Athletic Director Bill Shumard to discuss several issues, most prominent of which was football’s future at the school.

Players say they are concerned about how long their scholarships will be honored if football is dropped or if Fullerton downgrades the program and must reduce the number of grants.

Gordon has said that a decision on whether the Titans remain Division I-A, drop to a reduced I-AA program or eliminate the sport will come after the season. But players, especially underclassmen, say they want to know sooner so they can begin making plans.

There was talk of boycotting Saturday’s game at San Jose State, but the team decided it will practice today and play that game.

A decision about the Southwestern Louisiana game won’t be made until players meet with Gordon on Monday, several Titans said.

“I want to play, but it comes down to how many people feel strong enough about using a boycott as a tool to get a decision,” said senior tight end Robert Bedford.

Some players say the team’s potential to affect athletic department revenue--Fullerton will receive about $90,000 for the Southwestern Louisiana game and about $35,000 for four Big West Conference road games--gives them some leverage.

“There’s $250,000 more (actually about $230,000) to get out of the season, and they want us to play out the schedule so they can complete their budget,” sophomore running back Reggie Carter said.

Shumard said such a move would be senseless because boycotting a game would likely breach the players’ scholarship agreements. Gordon wasn’t available for comment, but Shumard, who met briefly with Gordon on Wednesday, had no reason to believe the president will make any decisions by next week.