Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence and his girlfriend, Marissa Mowry, have been given the green light to continue their GoFundMe to help those affected by coronavirus, after the NCAA initially shut down their fundraising efforts. On Monday, Lawrence and Mowry, a soccer play at Anderson University, launched the GoFundMe page to raise money for those who have been most deeply impacted by the coronavirus pandemic by offering some sort of relief. Despite their good intentions, it was reported that they were asked to deactivate the page by a compliance official, as it violated an NCAA policy that prohibits a player from using their name, image, and likeness for crowd funding.
Despite Lawrence and Mowry's initial disappointment, the NCAA decided to make an exception. The association issued a statement the following day, announcing that they will allow student athletes to raise money to help during this difficult time.
"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," the NCAA said in its statement. Clemson Athletics also issued a statement of their own on Twitter.
"In light of current circumstances surrounding COVID-19," they wrote, "the NCAA reached out to Clemson Athletics this evening informing us that they are waiving restrictions that had been in place and are now allowing institutions to utilize discretion with respect to fundraising efforts." Lawrence and Mowry later took to his Instagram stories to address the situation. "Shout out to the NCAA," Lawrence said. "Thank y'all so much for granting a waiver. They're allowing us to continue to raise money for what we were doing originally." They explained that they're going to figure out the best way to raise the money as fast and efficiently as possible and to reach as many folks as they can. They will also be writing letters to those affected by the coronavirus, as well as the health care workers who have been on the frontlines.