Grambling State University has announced that it will reinstate the volleyball team’s scholarships after former head coach Chelsey Lucas terminated them during her short tenure, WAFB 9 reports. GSU President Rick Gallot and Dr. Trayvean Scott, vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics, shared their decision following an internal investigation of the volleyball program, the News Star reports.
“The success of student-athletes and their ability to matriculate at Grambling State University is the top priority,” Scott said, according to The News Star. “As we move forward in this transition and commence a national search for the next coach, all volleyball student-athletes who received scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year will keep their scholarships and remain on the team. Walk-ons will also continue to hold their roster spot.”
According to the News Star, Gallot also discussed “the responsibility of this institution to make sure that student-athletes are afforded opportunities in a manner compliant with all regulatory organizations. … That applies to athletics as much as it does to academics.”
According to KSLA, Lucas was hired back in February to lead the volleyball team. She released all 19 players from the team on April 4, causing alarms to raise at the university.
GSU Athletics Communications Director Brian Howard was aware that Lucas would be making some changes to the roster, but he did not expect such a drastic move, and he was not aware of it beforehand. Volleyball players told KSLA that Lucas called individual meetings with each player and told them their scholarships would not be renewed.
One player shared that Lucas said the decision to cancel their scholarships was performance-based, and it left many players searching for other programs to transfer to.
The university is now on the hunt for a new head coach.
