Grambling State’s recently hired Volleyball coach Chelsey Lucas about to be fired.
A graduate of Grambling State herself, Lucas played for the Tigers in 2007. Now she was rejoining the team as their new coach. Things were already rocky at first, when Lucas was coaching the Arkansas Pine Bluff. The Grambling State team had just won and were reciting their cheer afterwards. The only thing was that their cheer ended with the b-word, with Lucas interpreting this as the Grambling State volleyball players calling her a b-word.
“When we played them at home and we beat them, our school has like this chant, but at the end of the chant you say, like, the B-word,” Sheila Borders said. “I guess she thought I was calling them B-words, but, like, the whole school says it. They say it at basketball games and football games. It’s nothing personal.”
After having a formal introduction with the players and coach, Lucas reportedly said: “I bet you didn’t expect to see me again. I bet y’all will think twice about who y’all call a b—-.” Afterwards the players had three practices, most of them consisting of running punishment instead of volleyball related drills. Soon afterwards, the team heard that the Arkansas Pine Bluff were going to try to join their team. A parent heard about this, did some research, and found out that they were indeed planning to join the team.
In April, Lucas reportedly had individual meetings, telling 12 of the students their scholarship would not be renewed, with four walk-ons being allowed to stay as walk-ons, but all refused. This left the girls rushing to find programs late in the off-season, with a few on the doorstep of graduation. Lucas had told the press that she had seen that this team was of bad character, and she wanted everyone to have a fair chance at it, also giving each person a valid reason why she did not want them on the team, or why she wanted them as walk-ons.
Soon afterwards, a change.org petition was made by the girls to remove Lucas from the job and get their scholarships back. This garnered over 3,700 signatures, with the school refusing comment besides adding that all of the girls’ scholarships would be returned and walk-on’s would stay in their position.
A graduate of Grambling State herself, Lucas played for the Tigers in 2007. Now she was rejoining the team as their new coach. Things were already rocky at first, when Lucas was coaching the Arkansas Pine Bluff. The Grambling State team had just won and were reciting their cheer afterwards. The only thing was that their cheer ended with the b-word, with Lucas interpreting this as the Grambling State volleyball players calling her a b-word.
“When we played them at home and we beat them, our school has like this chant, but at the end of the chant you say, like, the B-word,” Sheila Borders said. “I guess she thought I was calling them B-words, but, like, the whole school says it. They say it at basketball games and football games. It’s nothing personal.”
After having a formal introduction with the players and coach, Lucas reportedly said: “I bet you didn’t expect to see me again. I bet y’all will think twice about who y’all call a b—-.” Afterwards the players had three practices, most of them consisting of running punishment instead of volleyball related drills. Soon afterwards, the team heard that the Arkansas Pine Bluff were going to try to join their team. A parent heard about this, did some research, and found out that they were indeed planning to join the team.
In April, Lucas reportedly had individual meetings, telling 12 of the students their scholarship would not be renewed, with four walk-ons being allowed to stay as walk-ons, but all refused. This left the girls rushing to find programs late in the off-season, with a few on the doorstep of graduation. Lucas had told the press that she had seen that this team was of bad character, and she wanted everyone to have a fair chance at it, also giving each person a valid reason why she did not want them on the team, or why she wanted them as walk-ons.
Soon afterwards, a change.org petition was made by the girls to remove Lucas from the job and get their scholarships back. This garnered over 3,700 signatures, with the school refusing comment besides adding that all of the girls’ scholarships would be returned and walk-on’s would stay in their position.
