At Grambling State University, on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, the administration fired the university’s new women’s volleyball coach Chelsey Lucas after she cut all 19 players on the team’s roster less than two months after being hired.
In an official statement, the Grambling State University Athletics Department wrote, “[The firing was] due to the determination of an internal investigation within the volleyball program.” Additionally, in May 2022, sports analyst Stephen A. Smith brought national attention to Lucas’ wrongdoings on “First Take.” Grambling State decided on the firing following thousands of petition signatures showing national public disapproval of Lucas and evidence collected during an ongoing investigation into the reasoning behind Lucas’ actions.
Before Lucas’ hiring on February 14, 2022, tensions were already high between Grambling State volleyball players and Lucas.
During the volleyball season in the fall of 2021, the Grambling State women’s volleyball team defeated the team Lucas used to coach, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. In celebration of their win, Grambling State senior Sheila Borders recalled, “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. I [think] she thought I was calling them B-words, but … the whole school says it. It’s nothing personal.”
In retaliation, during Lucas’ first meeting with the Grambling State volleyball team as the coach, she remarked with frustration, “I bet you didn’t expect to see me again. I bet [you all] will think twice about who [you all] call a b—-.” In the next few weeks, Lucas held three practices consisting of many physical punishments and minimal volleyball training.
On April 4, 2022, Lucas reportedly hosted numerous meetings in which she terminated all 12 scholarships and cut all seven walk-ons from the team. This news caused a national outcry that led to the university’s investigation.
According to an interview with 247Sports, Lucas believes, “The narrative of this team … was a bad character team.” These words clearly show Lucas’ unrelenting hatred of the Grambling State women’s volleyball team.
After the firing, Dr. Trayvean Scott, the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Grambling State, plans to search nationally for a new coach, reinstate all of the scholarships Lucas ended, and reserve the roster positions for the walk-ons who Lucas cut.
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658070605903x665797506476225200/Grambling%20State%20fires%20Chelsey%20Lucas%2C%20volleyball%20coach%20who%20cut%20entire%20team%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://gsutigers.com/news/2022/7/5/general-grambling-state-terminates-volleyball-coach-chelsey-lucas.aspx
https://www.change.org/p/reinstate-grambling-volleyball-scholarships
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/volleyball/2022/04/28/grambling-state-volleyball-coach-chelsey-lucas-cuts-scholarships-players/9569693002/?gnt-cfr=1
In an official statement, the Grambling State University Athletics Department wrote, “[The firing was] due to the determination of an internal investigation within the volleyball program.” Additionally, in May 2022, sports analyst Stephen A. Smith brought national attention to Lucas’ wrongdoings on “First Take.” Grambling State decided on the firing following thousands of petition signatures showing national public disapproval of Lucas and evidence collected during an ongoing investigation into the reasoning behind Lucas’ actions.
Before Lucas’ hiring on February 14, 2022, tensions were already high between Grambling State volleyball players and Lucas.
During the volleyball season in the fall of 2021, the Grambling State women’s volleyball team defeated the team Lucas used to coach, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. In celebration of their win, Grambling State senior Sheila Borders recalled, “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. I [think] she thought I was calling them B-words, but … the whole school says it. It’s nothing personal.”
In retaliation, during Lucas’ first meeting with the Grambling State volleyball team as the coach, she remarked with frustration, “I bet you didn’t expect to see me again. I bet [you all] will think twice about who [you all] call a b—-.” In the next few weeks, Lucas held three practices consisting of many physical punishments and minimal volleyball training.
On April 4, 2022, Lucas reportedly hosted numerous meetings in which she terminated all 12 scholarships and cut all seven walk-ons from the team. This news caused a national outcry that led to the university’s investigation.
According to an interview with 247Sports, Lucas believes, “The narrative of this team … was a bad character team.” These words clearly show Lucas’ unrelenting hatred of the Grambling State women’s volleyball team.
After the firing, Dr. Trayvean Scott, the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Grambling State, plans to search nationally for a new coach, reinstate all of the scholarships Lucas ended, and reserve the roster positions for the walk-ons who Lucas cut.
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658070605903x665797506476225200/Grambling%20State%20fires%20Chelsey%20Lucas%2C%20volleyball%20coach%20who%20cut%20entire%20team%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://gsutigers.com/news/2022/7/5/general-grambling-state-terminates-volleyball-coach-chelsey-lucas.aspx
https://www.change.org/p/reinstate-grambling-volleyball-scholarships
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/volleyball/2022/04/28/grambling-state-volleyball-coach-chelsey-lucas-cuts-scholarships-players/9569693002/?gnt-cfr=1
