NCAA to allow Trevor Lawrence, other athletes to raise money during COVID-19 outbreak
Trevor Lawrence and his girlfriend Marissa Mowry will be able to raise money for coronavirus victims after all.
The NCAA informed the Clemson Athletics department late Tuesday afternoon that it will allow Lawrence and other athletes to raise money for charities during this time of need.
The news came about two hours after The State published a story that said NCAA rules prohibited Lawrence and Mowry from having a GoFundMe page for coronavirus victims because athletes cannot use their name, image and likeness for crowd funding.
The NCAA released the following statement to The State Tuesday evening: “The NCAA did not ask Clemson student-athlete Trevor Lawrence to take down his fundraiser for COVID-19 patients and their families. We continue to work with member schools so they have the flexibility to ensure that student-athletes and communities impacted by this illness are supported, and we applaud Trevor for his efforts.”
It wasn’t immediately known how quickly Lawrence and Mowry would revive their GoFundMe efforts, but they are expected to do so.
Lawrence and Mowry originally started a GoFundMe fund-raising page for coronavirus victims Monday afternoon, but it was shut down the same day after raising $2,670. A Clemson official told The State the Clemson University compliance department asked for the page to be taken down in order to comply with NCAA rules. Mowry said through a video on her Instagram account that they were forced to deactivate the page.
“Unfortunately Trevor cannot be a part of this anymore due to compliance and some rules, so he can’t help out anymore,” Mowry said in a video on her Instagram page. “And also we have to take down the GoFundMe page.”
The $2,670 that was raised will go to Meals on Wheels America and No Kid Hungry, Lawrence said in a video on Mowry’s Instagram page.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 6:20 PM.
