By Khadija Allen
Savannah State University is coming under fire for a lawsuit action by four white collegiate football players who attest that their scholarships were revoked on the grounds of improper racial discrimination. The players admit that the historically black college withdrew their scholarships once the University’s coach was fired in January.
Coach Robby Wells promised grant money to the students that would cover their four-year education. The deals were scheduled for signature on January 31 by the players – Andrew Cannon, Rico Arellano, Jacob Farmer and Forrest Hill. Savannah State’s attorney Joe Steffen said that the University had no record of scholarships granted to any of the men.
According to USA Today:
“These kids did not have scholarships offers, period,” Steffen said. “There is no written commitment between them and the university. We didn’t even known who some of these individuals were before the suit was filed.”
Savannah State administrators had no authority in promising athletic scholarships to the students and that they would need further approval from the school’s athletic director. “I feel sorry for the kids if they were led to believe that somehow Savannah State University considered them to be official recruits, he said, “because in no way, shape or form were they.”
