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Student-Athlete Loses NCAA Scholarship, Proceeds With Title IX Complaint

Posted by Joseph D. Lento | Aug 17, 2023 | 0 Comments

Student-athletespour their blood, sweat, and tears into earning a four-year degree while maintaining impressive grades and competing on the national stage. Those with scholarships enjoy the opportunity to excel in their field of play while paying for their education. Under governance from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), students with athletic scholarships have certain protections depending on the level of NCAA Division. But considering their differences and the nature of written contracts and verbal agreements, it can leave student-athletes in the dark while focusing on studies and sports.

Field Hockey Player ‘Betrayed' by Coach

A high school student verbally committed to accept a partial athletic scholarship to play field hockey at UMass Amherst—a national championship contender. With the scholarships being so essential, the coach explained to the family that the only way their child could lose their spot on the roster—and the athletic scholarship—was either academic failure or misconduct. Yet, that wasn't the truth as the student, once attending and playing at UMass, was left reeling when she was cut from the team and left without the vital scholarship.

The family alleges the coach cut the student for nothing to do with misconduct or academic performance and feels “betrayed” after their student committed to the team and didn't receive the scholarship terms the coach promised her. Reportedly, the UMass coach “initially offered” the player a 30 percent scholarship as a junior in high school, but changed to 10 percent in their first two years, then 50 percent each of their last two years. Regardless, they were pushed out after just one year, with the coach citing the roster spot and scholarship was “contingent on contributing more on the field,” a claim the player and their family deny.

Did the Coach Break the Rules?

The NCAA has a rule barring universities from reducing or taking away athletic scholarships because of a player's athletic contributions. However, such is a rule for the NCAA Division I autonomous conference, made up of five collegiate conferences, of which the Atlantic 10—UMass' conference—is not a member. Moreover, coaches can “promise” aspiring student-athletes anything verbally, but verbal offers are not binding. Only when an official letter of intent is signed are the stipulations of scholarships set in stone—at least until they're not.

Most athletic scholarships aren't guaranteed for four years and are renewable annually based on various factors, including academics, behavior, and performance. Only the 65 schools within the Division 1 autonomous conference guarantee scholarships regardless of athletic performance or injury. In terms of the UMass coach, they were said to have offered the student a 10 percent scholarship for their remaining years at the school following dismissal from the team. Still, her communication strategy has been called into question.

Current and former players alleged the UMass coach has worked to cut players by “driving them out of the program…often under duress,” in the attempt to coax team members “to voluntarily relinquish their scholarship[s].” In preference to better-performing players, the coach would subject others to “emotional distress,” giving a potential foundation to one player's Title IX complaint against the coach.

Navigating Title IX as a Student-Athlete

Colleges and universities are under immense pressure to manage Title IX allegations to maintain their federal funding. With expanding definitions of Title IX to include more forms of harassment, a student-athlete is far too busy with school and on-field performance to know the regulations. So, get in touch with a team that prides itself on defending students against burdensome college personnel.

The Lento Law Firm has assisted thousands in maintaining their scholarships and eligibility in schools nationwide with its roster of experienced Title IX attorney-advisors. Contact the Lento Law Firm online or call 888-535-3686 to maintain your dreams of graduating as a student-athlete.

About the Author

Joseph D. Lento

"I pride myself on having heart and driving hard to get results!" Attorney Joseph D. Lento passionately fights for the futures of his clients nationwide. Attorney Lento and his team represent students and others in disciplinary cases and various other proceedings at colleges and universities across the United States. Attorney Lento has helped countless students, professors, and others in academia at more than a thousand colleges and universities across the United States, and when necessary, he and his team have sought justice on behalf of clients in courts across the nation. He does not settle for the easiest outcome, and instead prioritizes his clients' needs and well-being. In various capacities, the Lento Law FIrm Team can help you or your student address any school-related issue or concern anywhere in the United States.

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