The university announced the decision on Monday to end the 76-year-old program, citing an “extensive review process” that determined that “elevating and sustaining a competitive Division I football program would require additional multimillion dollar investments on an ongoing basis.”
“Our goal for athletics is to achieve sustainable excellence in all areas,” athletic director Peter Roby said in an open letter to the Northeastern community. “We do not define success merely through wins and losses. Instead, we recognize that success comes from creating a positive student-athlete experience. The primary motivation for this decision was based on the significant obstacles to providing this experience for our football players.”
The players were told of the decision before the announcement was made, and those players on athletic scholarships have the option to complete their studies while still receiving scholarship funds. The Huskies finished their final season 3-8, winning the school’s final game 33-27 over the University of Rhode Island on Saturday. They lost the first six games of the season and eight of the first nine.
