Grambling Football Crisis

That was me questioning it, and it's a fair question. If the school cannot afford to travel, then they shouldn't be going so far.

As far as the schollie situation is for FCS, I believe it's now the equivalent of 63 FT scholarships, which can be divided among 85 players. But that's the max. Some schools, and I can image Grambling doing so, can give out less.

 

I the FCS scholly limit is 63 and schools can split the individual scholarships between multiple players. I doubt many, if any, of Grambling's kids were getting full rides.

 

Exactly, and I can't see how the precedent could be set. We hear stories of kids quitting the team during the season for any number of reasons, and as far as I know, they don't suddenly receive a bill for their education for that semester.

Otherwise, you could get a situation in which teams and coaches could try to skimp on paying for scholarships by yanking them in the middle of the semester for the flimsiest of reasons.

 

To answer why they played in Indy...the city has hosted an HBCU game every year since the early 80s. The teams split 500K for playing. So I'm guessing Grambling may have used the bus to get that much more out of being invited to the Circle City Classic this year.

Somewhat related, that game drew just about 18,000 or so to Lucas Oil Stadium (2nd smallest crowd for the event in 30 years).

 

No mention of this at all on the Grambling athletics website, which looks like it's barely updated at all. It's one thing to have no money, it's another to just be utterly disorganized, and it looks like Grambling is both.

 

Did not know that, thank you. I am sure the athletic dept. needed the extra money, but if you're getting 250k for one game they could have used it to get the players there on planes.
Surely there was a way to do that and still take in some profit (less profit, but still...). Doesn't look good for the AD and his administration for sure.

 

I'm going to guess this extends far beyond the AD.

 

Grambling seems like it's being run about as good as an inner city HS. Typically filled with
a lot of well intentioned but incompetent people.

 

Here's the NCAA rule on reducing aid:

15.3.4 reduction or Cancellation During Period of Award.
15.3.4.1 Increase Permitted. Institutional financial aid may be increased for any reason at any time. (Ad- opted: 1/11/94, Revised: 2/26/03, 4/23/08, 10/27/11 effective 8/1/12; awards may be executed before 8/1/12)
15.3.4.2 Reduction or Cancellation Permitted. Institutional financial aid based in any degree on athletics ability may be reduced or canceled during the period of the award if the recipient: (Revised: 1/11/94, 1/10/95)
(a) Renders himself or herself ineligible for intercollegiate competition;
(b) Fraudulently misrepresents any information on an application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement (see Bylaw 15.3.4.2.3);
(c) Engages in serious misconduct warranting substantial disciplinary penalty (see Bylaw 15.3.4.2.4); or
(d) Voluntarily (on his or her own initiative) withdraws from a sport at any time for personal reasons; however, the recipient’s financial aid may not be awarded to another student-athlete in the academic term in which the aid was reduced or canceled. A student-athlete’s request for written permission to contact another four-year collegiate institution regarding a possible transfer does not constitute a voluntary withdrawal. (Revised: 1/10/92, 1/11/94, 1/10/95, 1/9/96, 12/13/05, 9/11/07)
15.3.4.2.1 Timing of Reduction or Cancellation. Any reduction or cancellation of aid during the period of the award may occur only after the student-athlete has been provided an opportunity for a hearing per Bylaw 15.3.2.4. (Adopted: 5/15/07, Revised: 4/23/08)
15.3.4.2.2 Nonathletically Related Conditions. An institutional financial aid agreement may include nonathletically related conditions (e.g., compliance with academics policies or standards, compliance with athletics department rules or policies) by which the aid may be reduced or canceled during the period of the award. (Adopted: 4/23/08)
15.3.4.2.3 Fraudulent Misrepresentation. If a student-athlete is awarded institutional financial aid on the basis of declaring intention to participate in a particular sport by signing a letter of intent, application or tender, action on the part of the grantee not to participate (either by not re- porting for practice or after making only token appearances as determined by the institution) would constitute fraudulent misrepresentation of information on the grantee’s application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement and would permit the institution to cancel or reduce the financial aid. (Revised: 1/11/94)
15.3.4.2.4 Misconduct. An institution may cancel or reduce the financial aid of a student-ath- lete who is found to have engaged in misconduct by the university’s regular student disciplinary authority, even if the loss-of-aid requirement does not apply to the student body in general. (Revised: 1/11/94)
15.3.4.2.5 Release of Obligation to Provide Athletically Related Financial Aid—One Year Award. Before becoming a counter for an academic year pursuant to a one-year grant-in-aid, if a prospective student-athlete or student-athlete is awarded institutional financial aid unrelated to athletics that is of equal or greater value than his or her signed award of athletically related financial aid, the prospective student-athlete or student-athlete may, on his or her initiative, release the institution of its obligation to provide the athletically related financial aid. (Adopted: 1/15/11 effective 8/1/11, Revised: 10/27/11 effective 8/1/12; awards may be executed before 8/1/12)
15.3.4.3 Reduction or Cancellation Not Permitted. Institutional financial aid based in any degree on athletics ability may not be reduced or canceled during the period of its award: (Adopted: 1/16/93, Revised: 1/11/94, 12/11/07)
(a) On the basis of a student-athlete’s athletics ability, performance or contribution to a team’s success; (b) Because of an injury, illness, or physical or mental medical condition (except as permitted pursuant to Bylaw 15.3.4.2); or (Revised: 1/14/08) (c) For any other athletics reason.
15.3.4.3.1 Athletically Related Condition Prohibition. An institution may not set forth an athletically related condition (e.g., financial aid contingent upon specified performance or playing a specific posi- tion) that would permit the institution to reduce or cancel the student-athlete’s financial aid during the period of the award if the conditions are not satisfied. (Adopted: 1/16/93, Revised: 1/11/94)
15.3.4.3.2 Decrease Not Permitted. An institution may not decrease a prospective student-athlete’s or a student-athlete’s financial aid from the time the prospective student-athlete or student-athlete signs the financial aid award letter until the conclusion of the period set forth in the financial aid agreement, except under the conditions set forth in Bylaw 15.3.4.2. (Adopted: 1/11/94, Revised: 4/2/03 effective 8/1/03)

 

I think Grambling has been saying it's a no contest, while Jackson State and the SWAC are saying forfeit.
Here's the SWAC's official statement, which says it's a forfeit -- the conference's first.

 

My young daughter and I left Texas and drove to Mississippi in mid-August, stopping here and there to see historic sites.
On the way back, we pulled off at Grambling and drove up on campus to see the Eddie Robinson Museum.
Very nicely put together and extremely modern decor, with plaques of Aaron James and all the other GSU sports Hall members, amid the football stuff commemorating Robinson.
Anyway, we drove over the the stadium, which is down in a pit sort of, really cool-looking but poorly kept.
The whole campus is run down and stuck in the 80s, it seems.
I talked with a friend from Dallas about the state of HBCUs and we agree they are struggling to keep a niche and to stay relevant, sports-wise.
SWAC teams won't even align and try to make the NCAA playoffs, instead opting for Classic games.
These schools don't have much of an identity in today's sports world and I remember the sad state's of affairs with programs at Mississppi Valley, Alcorn and JSU when I'd cover them 10 years ago.
Aside from their proud and small alum bases, not many people really care who wins or loses those games on Saturdays, sad as it may seem.

 

It goes beyond the website and football. The APR police already cracked down on men's hoops, as noted in the Dohrman story.