NCAA OKs $50,000 raised by FM grad for lesbian Canisius teammate disowned by parents

Shortly after moving back onto campus in August, Emily Scheck saw that she had several text messages from her mom. The sophomore, a cross-country runner for Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, looked down in horror. She was getting disavowed by her mother for being a lesbian.

Her mother had found photos on social media of Scheck with the woman she is dating and was apoplectic. Scheck had not come out to her parents, as she feared they wouldn't accept her sexual preference, according to the Griffin, the Canisius student newspaper. As first reported by the LGBT sports website Outsports, Scheck allegedly was faced with an ultimatum from her family: leave school, give up her partial scholarship and return home to Webster, New York, to go through therapy for her sexual orientation, or she would be cut out of their lives for good.

When she indicated to her parents that she was staying at Canisius and had no interest in therapy, her father drove 85 miles to drop off her belongings, from clothing and stuffed animals to trophies and even her birth certificate. He reportedly dumped her things in her car and removed the license plates. The family had already removed her from their car insurance plan, according to Outsports.

"Well, I am done with you," Scheck's mom texted her daughter, the Buffalo News reported. "As of right now, declare yourself independent. You are on your own. Please don't contact us or your siblings."

With only $20 to her name, Scheck was desperate, working two part-time jobs while attending class and cross-country practice.

"I never would have guessed in a million years that this was something that was going to happen to me," she told the News. "My roommates, they started crying. Me too."

When a roommate launched a GoFundMe campaign this month to raise money for Scheck to eat, live and buy books for the semester, the fundraiser generated tens of thousands of dollars in days. As of early Monday, the campaign, which had an original goal of $5,000, had raised more than $58,000 since Nov. 7.

But the 19-year-old faced with another ultimatum last week, this time from the NCAA: Give back the online donations, or keep the money and lose her eligibility for college athletics. She felt she had no choice but to give up her eligibility

On Friday, the NCAA, which has long fought active student-athletes receiving any outside financial contributions, made a rare reversal: Scheck could not only keep the donations but maintain her eligibility.

The weeks that followed her family's actions were rough. Unable to buy books, she had to borrow them from friends to study. It was hard to find a place to park her car without getting towed. And figuring out how she'd eat was a daily struggle.

"I couldn't even get groceries, initially," she told the News. "I was just really relying on my roommates and my girlfriend."

She told her coaches of the situation, Outsports reported, but months went by without a firm plan for how she would find housing and money for food. That's when Fayetteville-Manlius High School graduate Grace Hausladen, a roommate and teammate, launched a GoFundMe campaign in hope of getting financial support for her friend. Hausladen knew there was some recent precedent for successful campaigns based on college athletes in difficult life situations. She pointed to the head injury suffered by Tennessee State football player Christion Abercrombie in September, and the NCAA later approving one of the GoFundMe accounts set up for his medical fees, the Griffin reported.

"She was kicked out of her home for being herself," Hausladen wrote. "No one deserves to have their home and siblings taken away from them for being their true selves. Though she has made a new home in Buffalo through her teammates and her girlfriend, Justyna, we can no longer stand by and do nothing." She added: "This should not be happening in today's society. Help her feel accepted. Help her feel like herself."

Almost instantly, the campaign was a viral hit and initial fundraising totaled $25,000, more than enough to get her through the fall semester.

The campaign's success got the attention of the NCAA and Canisius, which led to the choice of either giving back the money or losing her eligibility. It was a choice also given to Hausladen. By last week, Scheck's story had been shared across social media, with people both encouraging her to remain positive and pressuring the NCAA and school to rule in her favor. The public support apparently paid off.

"Canisius and the NCAA will continue to work together in support of Emily," the university said in a statement. "She is a member of the Canisius family and we will to do whatever we can to assist her."

The parents more than regret this day.

She will regret it also. All very sad.

I was torn by this story, because while it sucks to suddenly have your money tree taken from you, I know dozens of kids in college whose parents could never have afforded to buy them a car, or pay their insurance, or finance their books — they had to work their way through college on their own.

Now I’m curious how the NCAA will EVER be able to keep athletes from taking donations. There is nothing “special” about this case, making it different from every other case of a poor kid getting to college because of an athletic capability.

THis is true, you can gift money to people and it is tax-free, but there are limits to how much a single person can give you, like $10,000. THe idea is the people who give you the money already paid taxes, and since you are getting a donation, they are not getting services for what they give you.

Yes, NY has both front and back plates.

Mandatory.

Could be it was her car on her parents insurance and maybe registered in their name.

Re the go fund me lesbian story.

Can I donate money to the running back of my favorite team?

What if he says he’s disowned or oppressed or has ADD?

NCAA opened the door to student athletes getting paid off above board.

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