While athletes around the country are pitching in to assist victims of the coronavirus, Trevor Lawrence wanted to contribute too.
The Clemson star quarterback and his girlfriend, Anderson University soccer player Marissa Mowry, decided to start a GoFundMe campaign Monday afternoon to help those affected by the outbreak.
After raising $2,670 in less than one day, the couple was forced to shut down the fundraiser. But after taking quite a bit of heat for the decision, the NCAA announced Lawrence and Mowry can revive the GoFundMe, and that they never called for it to get shut down to begin with.
“The NCAA did not ask Clemson student-athlete Trevor Lawrence to take down his fundraiser for COVID-19 patients and their families,” the NCAA said Tuesday evening.
“We continue to work with member schools so they have the flexibility to ensure that student-athletes and communities impacted by this illness are supported, and we applaud Trevor for his efforts.”
The NCAA did not ask Clemson student-athlete Trevor Lawrence to take down his fundraiser for COVID-19 patients and their families. https://t.co/5oaG75LNQC pic.twitter.com/fUaux6SXdi
— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) March 24, 2020
Per Matt Connolly of The State, it was the Clemson University compliance department who asked that the campaign be taken down as it was assumed to violate NCAA rules prohibiting against athletes using their name, image and likeness to raise money.
“The NCAA Board of Governors encourages conferences and schools to make decisions and take action in the best interest of student-athletes and their communities,” the NCAA said in regards to the Clemson official taking action. “In addition, the NCAA Board of Governors directs Divisions I, II and III to consider necessary adjustments to or waivers of rules where appropriate.”
Whether the NCAA would have put a stop to the GoFundMe, it caught a lot of heat for its policy that led to the exception.
Perhaps if the Association didn’t have a track record for decisions like this, its member schools wouldn’t feel compelled to take action against its students raising money for charity.
