When St. Augustine’s interim president Marcus Burgess introduced the suspension of the 2024 soccer season two weeks in the past, sophomore offensive lineman Antonio Odom had one thought in thoughts.
“I’ll simply say it’s really heartbreaking to listen to. We put lots of effort and time into the earlier season making an attempt to show this system round regardless of all the hardships we confronted as not solely athletes however college students as properly,” Odom instructed HBCU Sports activities. “I pray sooner or later they’re able to come again from this, and the Falcons can have an opportunity to rebuild once more.”
Mentioned sophomore edge rusher Jacoby Wall: “It’s a really unlucky scenario proper now. Hopefully, they may determine all the pieces out and get again to being a secure college.”
The Falcons went 0-10 in the course of the 2023 season, a 12 months marked with controversy as first-year head coach Howard Feggins was fired six video games into the season amid alleged intimidation by the college throughout
And that was solely the start of the soccer program’s troubles.
Most not too long ago, Burgess appeared on a Raleigh TV station to clarify the dire straits the college was in and the way soccer could be a casualty of the scenario.
Burgess stated the college would wish roughly $30 million for the college to be thought-about in common sense to deal with deferred upkeep points. The college additionally didn’t make payroll as not too long ago as February, forcing professors to cancel courses. To make issues worse, the IRS hit the college with a $7.9 million tax lien.
The college then introduced that college students would full their spring semester programs on-line. Burgess has maintained the college wouldn’t shut regardless of all its points.
“We had been conscious in regards to the faculty’s points in direction of the tip of the season however we had been extra affected by the firing of Coach Feggins,” Wall stated.
“I’ve heard that conditions like this occurred earlier than prior to now,” Odom stated. “However you’ll by no means assume that they might occur once more.”
The suspension of the Falcons’ soccer program has immediately impacted the gamers’ quick futures as a number of athletes, together with Wall, who’s now at Catawba (NC) School. A number of different gamers have entered the switch portal as properly.
“For me, it wasn’t troublesome on discovering a brand new residence as a result of I began my recruitment early. However chatting with different gamers, it has been extraordinarily troublesome on them discovering a brand new faculty on the fly,” Wall stated. “I simply really feel dangerous for the freshmen or guys that redshirted that don’t have a lot movie as a result of they wasted a 12 months at St. Augustine’s.”
Mentioned Odom: “With the switch portal being reside, discovering a house for some has not been a problem. We have already got lots of gamers which might be already starting their careers at completely different universities, nevertheless we nonetheless do have lots of athletes nonetheless struggling to seek out houses.”
