We thought the shocking news coming out of Grambling State would have subsided after Hue Jackson’s hiring debacle involving Art Briles.
We were wrong.
Earlier this week, Grambling St. volleyball coach Chelsey Lucas, who was hired by the Tigers less than three months ago, went scorched earth and cut every player from the 19-person team.
According to KSLA, the athletic department knew some changes were coming, but not to this unprecedented extent.
“Just as the transfer portal empowers student-athletes, our coaches are also empowered to make the decisions they deem necessary to advance their programs,” said Grambling State athletic director Trayveon Scott in a statement.
Lucas’ right to make this abrupt and potentially life changing decision was also echoed by Grambling Athletics Communications Director, Brian Howard.
“The decision, it’s her decision to make and she’s got some quality players coming on board. I think 14 or 15 coming on board at some point,” said Howard. “So in terms of things, I hate to say out with the old, but in with the new a little bit.
“Obviously we don’t want them to be cut or lose their scholarships or whatever that might be or whatever that might look like. At the end of the day, Coach Lucas has a goal, has a vision. We have a goal as an institution and a vision as well to win and that’s first and foremost.”
Lucas reportedly addressed each player individually to inform them that their scholarship would not be renewed, which means these players will have to enter the transfer portal and scramble to find their next program if they want to play again.
And to make matters worse, it’s already late in the season.
“She said that we weren’t able to practice much, which we weren’t and she said based off of that, she was not able to renew my scholarship so I didn’t really get any time to show what I could do,” said Maurisa Harris, a junior at Grambling and a three-year player on the team. “When I was in there and she told me, my heart completely broke. Of course and I didn’t cry in there, but I did when I left and it just hurts really bad, the fact that it was snatched away so fast.”
While we can’t recall seeing a decision to cut players at this level before, it’s not entirely unprecedented as institutions have done this to players throughout history.
And coach Lucas has the right to recruit her own players for her program.
But it still hurts those involved who now have to leave the place they once called home and find a new place to play.
