There are a lot of things to not like about the game of college football sometimes. From shady recruiting tactics to Lane Kiffin (wait, is that redundant?) to the BcS to the NCAA itself, there are a plethora of things to bitch about when it comes to the sport this website covers.
Then you stumble across a story like the one we are about to post on, and it makes you realize that, more than some would care to admit, there are some really good people involved in the game at the collegiate level.
Back in December, linebacker Jake Nicolopulos, a Clemson verbal commitment since February of 2009, suffered a stroke, which made it likely that the high schooler would never be able to play football again.
Fast-forward two months, and Nicolopulos faxed Clemson his signed Letter of Intent. And the university will honor it.
That’s right, a player who likely will never step on the field for the Tigers will be on scholarship and receive a college education because of some very classy people at the university. This move is not a surprise to those in the program as athletic director Terry Don Phillips told head coach Dabo Swinney shortly after the stroke that the school would honor the scholarship.
“This is realized dream for him that he achieved, that he earned,” Swinney said. “God had a little bit of a different plan for him. But I don’t have doubt at all Jake Nicolopulos will make an impact at Clemson.”
Speaking of impact, what the people at Clemson did for this teenager and his family should be roundly and loudly applauded, and serve as a reminder that, regardless of how cynical we all are, there are indeed some very classy people in the game.
I have just gained a HUGE amount of respect for Clemson!
Good for Clemson and Jake. A class move that many others could learn from.
Texas had this happen with an offensive line commitment who suffered a heart attack, and I was heartened to see that the school honored the scholarship for four years. It’s terrific that Clemson is a similar thing.
http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=170977
Wonder what Lane Kiffin would have said to that? (Quick unplug the fax machine)
Clemson and Texas just earned a new fan. Outstanding.
Ball State University did the same in the late 1980s with a basketball player named T.J. Lick. A 6-10 post player, he lost his leg in a motorcycle crash, yet graduated with a business degree after BSU honored his scholarship.
Class then, class now with Clemson!
great story about clemson…burntorangehorn beat me to the Matt Nader story about Mack Brown.
Nice to hear that there are SOME class guys still around.
While I think this is definitely a class act on their part, I feel like we need to wait four years until this kid graduates with his scholarship still in tact…
Let’s not forget Clemson’s last act of extreme kindness that didn’t last very long…
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2008/mar/09/ray_ray_finished_playing_tigers33202/
Thanks for bringing this to the attention that it deserves and thanks to all the other posters who reminded us of the class acts of other universities.
Hamburger,
Please remember that Ray Ray was offered a scholarship to stay on as a Coach and Grad. Asst at Clemson so that he could finish his degree and keep his brother in school. It was Ray Ray’s decision to leave due to lack of playing time, but please remember that Clemson did give him opportunities to stay at the university to obtain his degree.
I hope you read this, Lane Kiffin.
Good to hear a story about a college program doing the right thing and honoring a commitment.
It’s nice to know that there are still decent people in this world. I hope the college football knows about Clemson’s good deed.
It’s nice to know that there are still decent people in this world. I hope the college football knows about Clemson’s good deed.
good story for both. big UT fan……..firelane…now this what America needs
wtg……….america will survive
What a wonderful story;thank you!
Makes me even prouder to be an alum.
Not the first time this happened…
Clemson honored a scholarship to a running back who had to quit playing football because he had to take care of his younger sibling… while remaining a full-time college student.