UAB to End Football

[Chitownhorn]

I feel sorry for the players who had committed to the program and are now left without a home. It will be interesting to see if they offer them any type of financial assistance if they would like to remain at UAB and complete their college education.

I can't remember the last time a "major" college football program was shut down voluntarily. 

http://bit.ly/1tzWQiG

 

[Juan]

A victim of Title IX?

 

[streettopeschel]

the article said the last team was pacific in '95. interesting times. some schools pushing to pay players, others can't afford to keep the lights on.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

The University of Alabama board of trustees oversees UAB's finances, including their athletics budget.  Paul Bryant, Jr. sits on the board.

Word is, UAB will be kicked out of C-USA if they drop their football program.  Is it far-fetched to think that Bama loyalists don't want to help subsidize UAB's program because it wants access to more D1 talent?  Maybe not so much for football, but other sports - basketball, baseball, etc.?  Why encourage more in-state competition?  

F' Bama.  I feel sorry for the kids and coaches

 

[dillohorn]

$$ is going to be more and more of a problem for smaller programs. The have nots may totally disappear and the small group of haves will be the only survivors.

 

[monarch]

disheartening news.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

I feel sorry for the players who had committed to the program and are now left without a home. It will be interesting to see if they offer them any type of financial assistance if they would like to remain at UAB and complete their college education.

I can't remember the last time a "major" college football program was shut down voluntarily. 

http://bit.ly/1tzWQiG

Something similar happened with my son last year. He was committed to McMurry and then on the Saturday before NSD, their board votes to go Div III. No scholarship. Terrible timing.

 

[Duke C #11]

It's my understanding that for many years, the University of Alabama system had a rule that only one football program was allowed within the system.

 

[Chris Flanagan]

The video was tough to watch.

 

[texasdalton]

I really hope that those kids are given the opportunity to get a scholarship or play somewhere else. I know this is rare to happen but i now see why college recruits flip their pledges from one school to another shouldn't looked down upon.

 

[Coleman Feeley]

There's apparently a long time bitterness from the Bryant family to the Bartow family. When the Bear was at Alabama it's said that Bartow had Bryant investigated for breaking recruiting rules etc... which lead to this vendetta.

If you want to see how the players feel here's an impassioned speech from a 27 year old veteran who plays for UAB... He's speaking to the University President

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11971745

 

[BevoBlake]

Listening to Tristan's speech was difficult. The raw emotion in his voice really set the tone for a heartfelt statement that the UAB President and Board needed to hear. 

It's my opinion that UAB should have stopped offering scholarships after 2015 and completed the next four seasons for the scholarship athletes. They could have used walk-ons with the understanding that the team would be dissolved in 2018-2019. I really feel bad for those kids.

 

[LHornjack]

If the go to a paying the players scenario, this will happen in droves

 

[Juan]

If the go to a paying the players scenario, this will happen in droves

Agree.  Roughly speaking, if you are going to pay the football players, you must also pay the rowers (in something close to the same amount).  If you try to pay the football players without paying the rowers, et al., then there are teams of attorneys/activists ready to pounce on you with lawsuits.  Title IX created a cottage industry which keeps a bunch of folks permanently employed (a smaller version of abortion or gun rights).  This rally to pay football players is like Pavlov's Bell to these people.  Their mouths are watering and their clerks are busy.

UAB got out in front of all that.

 

[BevoBlake]

UAB didn't get selected for a Bowl Game. I'm a bit surprised but mostly disappointed. You'd think one of the smaller bowls would absolutely roll the dice and take a shot with UAB. It's the school's apparent last game and they're in the middle of protests for future seasons. They're a hot topic on ESPN and other sports talking heads. The Bowl would receive way more publicity than they usually do in selecting UAB for their farewell game. Not to mention, you'd likely pack UAB's side of the stands for fans, alumni and interested locals. This isn't like picking the UAB of past. It's getting a team that could very well be playing it's last game in your stadium with your logo plastered everywhere. There is going to be a mid to high level of interest there. I can tell you that I for one would watch the game. As I know that one of the teams is going to be playing like there is no tomorrow. 

I'm disappointed that these kids had to go out the way they did. Hopefully they all get another opportunity on another team.