Star Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence was forced to stop raising money for coronavirus victims out of fear of NCAA rules but was later given the go-ahead

  • Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and his girlfriend Marissa Mowry launched a crowdfunding campaign on Monday to help raise money for coronavirus victims and their families.
  • Just hours after the campaign was set live, it was taken down, as NCAA rules do not allow college athletes to use their name, image and likeness to crowdfund.
  • On Twitter, fans were quick to denounce the NCAA for apparently keeping Lawrence from doing some good for a worthy cause.
  • After the NCAA received quite a bit of criticism, the organization put out a statement clarifying that it hadn't stopped Lawrence and Mowry from running their fundraising campaign, and in fact supported the effort.
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Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was just trying to do some good in a time of national crisis.

Along with his girlfriend Marissa Mowry, herself a soccer player for Anderson University, Lawrence set up a crowdfunding campaign through GoFundMe on Monday that was meant to raise money that would support families that had been affected by COVID-19.

But just hours after it launched, the crowdfunding effort was taken down. NCAA rules prohibit college athletes from using their name, image and likeness for crowdfunding efforts.

As Mowry explained in a video posted to her Instagram page, Lawrence could not take part in the campaign due to "compliance." She added that the money that the duo had already raised — $2,670 — could no longer go directly to families in need, and would instead go to non-profits Meals on Wheels America and No Kid Hungry.

According to Grace Raynor, who covers Clemson football for The Athletic, the decision to take the campaign down didn't come directly from the NCAA, but rather from the school's compliance department, which wanted to ensure they were keeping within the rules set by the organization. 

But even though the decision to take down the campaign was made by Clemson rather than the NCAA directly, fans were still quick to direct their ire at the heavy-handed rulebook that is applied to college athletes.

As word began to spread that Lawrence's effort had been shut down, the NCAA would eventually step in with an official statement of their own.

"The NCAA did not ask Trevor Lawrence to take down his fundraiser for COVID-19 patients and their families," the NCAA said in a statement. "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."

While the page remains down as of the time of this writing, it now appears that Lawrence and Mowry will be able to revive their effort if they so choose.

Given the amount of attention their initial campaign has now received, chances are it would be quite successful. 

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