Florida A&M alerted North Carolina to concerns that its roster was exhausted all day Friday, prompting speculation on social media that Saturday’s 8 p.m. season opener at Kenan Stadium would not be played.
“We don’t want anyone to think they weren’t putting us in the loop and were making decisions in real time,” UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham told News & Observer. They handled it, but it would have been better if no one on Twitter handled it.”
FAMU football coach Willie Simmons told Alison Posey of ABC27 in Tallahassee, Florida that 20 players are ineligible regardless of their academics or transfer status. Until 32 hours before kick-off, it still seemed to be a problem, as we expected it to pass. As such, the Rattlers were faced with having to replace many players very close to game time.
Cunningham said clearing qualifications at the beginning of each semester can be a cumbersome process due to freshman transcripts, summer school for continuing students, and progress on the trek toward a degree. said that there is
“The verification of eligibility for the first game is done until the last minute,” says Cunningham. “Until today (Friday) morning, we hadn’t reviewed everyone in terms of eligibility. That’s not unusual.”
Cunningham said in his talks with FAMU, he never delved into who is eligible and who is not. However, Simmons told ESPN that he was reduced to seven offensive linemen who could move due to eligibility and injuries, and the team decided not to play.
“After several more discussions with college leaders, including the college president, the players finally decided to play the game,” Simmons told ESPN.com. I support 100% and am very proud that they are standing up for themselves.”
According to Flightaware.com, Rattlers charter Allegiant Air Flight 4501 departed Tallahassee, Fla., at 5:09 pm and landed at Raleigh-Durham Airport at 6:19 pm, six hours later than originally scheduled.
A big factor in the Rattlers finally making the trip probably had to do with penalties for not playing a game. According to the football competition agreement signed by FAMU President Larry Robinson and then Athletic Director Courtnegosha on September 30, 2020, if notice of cancellation is given 12 months before the scheduled date of the game, the school will would lose his $450,000 damages.
The Rattlers are contractually in a position to guarantee $450,000 to play the game. The Athletic Department’s total revenue from the 2020-21 fiscal year was $8.5 million, so the $900,000,000 shift from earning that guarantee to paying it instead isn’t trivial.
The low likelihood of FAMU taking such a major economic hit hasn’t stopped rumors from gaining momentum on social media that the Rattlers won’t be showing up at Chapel Hill.Cunningham and UNC football officials was fully aware of the ensuing speculation, but these concerns have since been dispelled.
Rattler Nation Blog – Rumors about eligibility issues and player boycotts began circulating around noon when a Twitter account called Amplified (@RattlernationAM) posted that the game might not be played.
Saturday’s match will be the first meeting between the two teams. The game was originally scheduled for September 22nd, but UNC coach Mack Brown wanted the game to be moved to Week 0 of college football to draw more attention to the game. Carolina planned an event to celebrate the season opener A historically black college or university, it emphasizes the contribution of black students to UNC.
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 4:19 PM.
CL Brown covers the University of North Carolina for The News & Observer. Brown has more than 20 years of reporting experience, including her writing assignments at Indiana University and the University of Louisville. After an extended residency at his APSE award-winning Louisville Courier-Journal, he stopped by his ESPN.com, his The Athletic, and even tried his hand at running his own website, clbrownhoops.com.
