By: Tianhao Chen

On Tuesday, July 5th, Grambling State fired volleyball coach Chelsey Lucas due to an investigation into the program after she cut her whole team.

Lucas had taken the position in February after the former coach Demetria Keys-Johnson resigned last year in December. Lucas already had connections to Grambling State as she had graduated from there in 2007. She was hired following her 18-15 record with the Arkansas Pine Bluff last season.

However, according to reports, Lucas had some tension with the team when she was hired. Grambling State players believed the tension was due to a game they played against Lucas’s former team. According to Grambling State athlete Sheila Borders, “[w]hen we played them at home and we beat them, our school has like this chant, but at the end of the chant you say, like, the B-word. I guess she thought I was calling them B-words.”

Lucas was allegedly so enraged by this that when she initially met the Grambling State players, she told them, “I bet you didn’t expect to see me again. I bet y’all will think twice about who y’all call a b—-.” According to the Monroe News-Star, the team had to do a lot of running drills and barely even touch a volleyball when they had practice.

Later on, Grambling State players were told by players from Lucas’s former team that they planned on transferring to Grambling State, which were confirmed by Sheila Borders’ mother. On April 4th, Lucas announced to the team that she would not renew any scholarships and would cut most players who walked-on to the team.

Despite the outcry from the community, the Grambling State administration supported Lucas. Many players who were cut created a Change.org petition to fire Lucas and for the scholarships to be renewed. This prompted the school to open up an investigation.

Grambling State Athletic Director Trayvean Scott hasn’t commented about the situation yet. In a statement given by the school, it said student-athletes were prioritized, but “any additional comments will be held until the conclusion of the investigation.”

In the same statement, Scott said, “[a]s we move forward in this transition and commence a national search for the next coach, all volleyball student-athletes who received scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year will keep their scholarships and remain on the team. Walk-ons will also continue to hold their roster spot.”

Link to Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/08/grambling-state-volleyball-coach-fired/