The state of Louisiana, like a number of states around the country, is facing an economic mess and it could be about to take a huge toll on its state universities in a way that could have a devastating effect on an unknown number of student-athletes. The state’s student financial aid office has informed all state universities it is stopping Taylor Opportunity Program for Students payments immediately due to the uncertain nature of the state’s ongoing budget crisis.
“Due to the possibility of state budget cuts, all TOPS payments are being suspended until further notice,” said an email from Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance on Thursday. “More details will be provided as information becomes available.”
While this situation could pose a serious risk to a number of programs throughout the state, few would be hit as hard as LSU. LSU has more TOPS eligible students than any other school in the state, with an estimated 53 percent of students in the program in 2014 according to The Advocate. The problem with budget issues is you just never know how long they may take to sort things out and allow things to begin running again. Heck, even our national government is not immune to a forced shutdown. In Louisiana, schools could be forced to shut down before semesters come to an end, which is where things start to get dicey from an NCAA eligibility issue…
If campuses close on April 30th, students end the semester with an “Incomplete”. All student athletes would be ineligible under NCAA rules.
— PodKATT (@valleyshook) February 12, 2016
The good news is the NCAA, for as much as some of us like to criticize them, does have at least an ounce of common sense from time to time. If in the extreme worst case scenario the state of Louisiana has to shut down its entire statewide university system, then we would like to think the NCAA would feel some sort of exemption status could be put in play for any player actually affected by the situation. Of course, this being politics and given the importance placed on football both as a symbol of the university and community pride and the huge impact it can have for a university’s budget, the threat of losing college football has already been thrown out in the wind by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.
Now nobody here thinks there is a real possibility we will not see Les Miles and LSU take the field next fall (it could be a very good year for LSU too, which maybe supports the threat of losing college football as well; on the other hand, maybe we DID see Les Miles coach his final game in Baton Rouge after all…), nor do we seriously think we will be without Louisiana Tech, Tulane or Louisiana-Monroe or Lafayette next fall. However, the threat of shutting down a program at the FCS or lower levels may not be as unrealistic a possibility.
Here’s hoping it does not get to that point down south, or anywhere else.