A GoFundMe page created by a top collegiate athlete that was raising funds to help coronavirus patients was shut down because it was in violation of NCAA rules.
Clemson University star quarterback Trevor Lawrence and his girlfriend Marissa Mowry, who plays soccer at Anderson University, created the fundraising page on Monday, but it was taken down in less than 24 hours after raising $2,670.
The reason? NCAA prohibits any athlete from using his or her name, image, or likeness for crowdfunding.
“Unfortunately, Trevor cannot be a part of this anymore due to compliance and some rules, so he can’t help out anymore,” Mowry said. “And also, we have to take down the GoFundMe page.”
Mowry said in a video on her Instagram account that they were forced to deactivate the page because of the NCAA crackdown. She said they plan on donating the money they raised to Meals on Wheels America and No Kid Hungry.
Lawrence, who led his team to the National Championship as a true freshman in 2018, offered his thanks in a different video on Mowry’s Instagram page.
“Despite all of the craziness and drama with that, we were able to raise a little over $2,500. So all of that’s going to go to Meals on Wheels and No Kid Hungry, which is super awesome,” Lawrence said in the video. “Thank you guys, all of y’all that donated. It’s really much appreciated. It’s going to help some kids and some elderly [people] somewhere, so it’s going to be very helpful. So we really appreciate y’all. Sorry for all of the drama and all of the confusion, but we got it worked out.”
Worldwide, there have been more than 409,000 cases of the coronavirus, about 106,000 recoveries, and at least 18,246 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
