University of Miami Pell Grant Scandal
In 1994, Tony Russell, a former UM academic advisor, pleaded guilty to helping more than 80 student athletes, 57 of whom were football players, falsify football players Pell Grant application in exchange for kickbacks from the players themselves. The scandal dated all the way back to 1989 and secured more than $220,000 in federal student aid funding. Federal officials later said that Russell had engineered "perhaps the largest centralized fraud ... ever committed" in the history of the Pell Grant program. Tony Russell was able to falsify football players financial information, so they could meet the Pell Grant Qualifications and Pell Grant Requirements .
In late 1995, the NCAA concluded that, in addition to the fraudulent Pell Grants facilitated by Russell, the university had also provided or allowed over $400,000 worth of other, improper payments to Miami football players. The NCAA also found that the university had failed to wholly implement its drug testing program, and permitted three football student-athletes to compete without being subject to the required disciplinary measures specified in the policy. Finally, the NCAA concluded, the university had lost institutional control over the football program. Miami docked itself seven scholarships as part of a self-imposed sanction in 1995, and the NCAA took away another 24 scholarships over the next two years.
The Pell Grant is meant for low-income students that does not have to be repaid once the student completes school. Many football players that received the Pell Grant, also receive a football scholarship as well, which would have disquialified them from receive any additional federal student aid. All forms of student aid is taken into consideration when determing if a student is qualified for a Pell Grant.
Pell Grant Eligibility include the following:
-Low-Income
-No other forms of student loans
-Financial Need
-low to no financial assets
As you can see from above, many of the football players would not have been eligible to receive the Pell Grant, since they received a substantially football scholarship to play at the University of Miami.
The imposition of scholarship reductions led to a long and painful rebuilding period for the Hurricanes.
Even Football Programs can act badly…
