The NCAA denied shutting down a fundraiser started by Clemson University’s star quarterback for families affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Trevor Lawrence started a GoFundMe for families with his girlfriend Marissa Mowry, who plays soccer at Anderson University, and raised more than $2,500 before it was shut down. Mowry said on her Instagram page Monday that the couple was forced to take down the crowdfunding page and would be donating the money to Meals on Wheels and No Kid Hungry.
“Unfortunately, Trevor can not be a part of this because of compliance and some rules, so he can’t help out anymore,” Mowry said.
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The soccer player apologized to donors who thought they’d be giving money to individual families that need assistance amid the pandemic. Lawrence also apologized for the confusion in an Instagram story on Mowry’s account.
“Thank you guys, all of y’all that donated. It’s really much appreciated,” Lawrence said. “It’s going to help some kids and some elderly somewhere, so it’s going to be very helpful.”
Neither of the college athletes specifically named the NCAA for the reason the crowdfunding campaign was shut down, but South Carolina newspaper The State reported Tuesday that a Clemson University official confirmed it violated an NCAA rule regarding using name, image and likeness for crowdfunding.
But the NCAA released a statement on Tuesday saying it did not ask Lawrence to take down his fundraiser.
“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 statement said.
It’s unclear who alerted Lawrence and Mowry that they were in violation of the compliance and rules. Clemson University did not immediately respond to a request for more information.
Mowry said she and Lawrence plan on writing letters to families who are impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and to healthcare workers who are on the front line of the disease.
“Again, our intentions were to try and help everyone,” Mowry said. “And that’s changed a little bit but we’re still going to do our best to love on ya’ll and support one another during this hard time.”
