Former basketball athlete alleges unfair treatment by the program

0


[ad_1]

Former VCU basketball player Jenna Nelson during her second season as a walk-on player in 2020. Photo courtesy of VCU Athletics


Iman Mekonen, Editor-in-chief

Sarah Elson, Editor-in-chief

Former VCU women’s basketball player Jenna Nelson alleges unfair treatment and longstanding opposition from the women’s basketball program, provoked by “retaliation for persistent problems treating walk-on players.”

Jada Nelson, the athlete’s sister, published a five paragraph statement Instagram announce the dismissal of their sister from the women’s basketball team on September 9.

She has seen a lot of opposition since Jenna’s basketball journey began at VCU, ”said Jada Nelson in the photo’s caption. “She has had fewer opportunities and has been treated differently since she went on this D1.” [Division I] Team.”

Since then, the post has been circulating on social media and received almost 4,800 likes and over 195 comments by September 21.

Jenna Nelson came to the Rams in 2019 as a walk-in newcomer and, according to her VCU Athletics profile, played eight games in two seasons with a total of nine minutes of playing time.

The athlete alleges situations where she has been “embarrassed, humiliated, or degraded because of her walk-on status.” The article also states that before the trial training as a runner, the athlete “turned to the administration and other responsible persons in order to be treated fairly”.

“It’s so hard to talk about something that goes on without other people’s knowledge,” Jenna Nelson said in an interview. “I honestly didn’t expect this post to explode the way it did.”

the NCAA defines a runner as someone who is not normally recruited by a school to participate in a sport or who receives financial support, but who instead becomes a member of a sports team. Preferred walk-ons may receive a scholarship during their sophomore season, but “nothing is guaranteed” according to NCSAsports.org.

The Post claims that Jenna Nelson has been told that she will have to attend auditions for the team a week before the tests due to “high interest in the team”. After the walk-through processes, she was later released from the team.

Jenna Nelson said she didn’t have to try herself out as a walk-on after her first season ended, and it came as a surprise to the junior athlete.

The Post claims that the players had to face male basketball players during the tryouts, which was “unexpected” to the athlete.

“I had full team training two hours before the walk-on tests,” said Jenna Nelson. “So I came to the walk-in exams and found it very strange. I’ve seen all the men and, you know, I just thought, ‘What’s going on?’ “

The post also claims that only three other players showed up for trial practice, although the program told her there was high interest.

“I felt humiliated,” said Jenna Nelson of scrimming against male players. “As he [a male during the scrimmage] slightly supported me with its size, it just felt humiliating. “

Neither VCU Athletics nor the VCU women’s basketball team as a whole have publicly dealt with the allegations. VCU Athletics issued a statement to the Commonwealth Times regarding the allegations.

“VCU Women’s Basketball held open, walk-in tryouts for VCU students on September 1 who met all NCAA eligibility guidelines.

It is at the sole discretion of the coaching staff for all collegiate sports programs of the VCU, each season, whether they add a walk-on to the roster. During all accessible tryouts, the employees evaluate each individual according to their needs, skill level, academic knowledge and programmatic suitability.

Walk-ons do not receive athletic grants, but receive VCU Athletics equipment, clothing, meals, lockers, exercise facilities, and the same access to athletic training and support staff as all recruited fellows.

VCU Women’s Basketball has historically used male practice players when available, along with numerous other Division I programs. These male practice players are not permitted to compete in college competitions for the women’s basketball team, nor do they occupy a squad position.

VCU Athletics aims to compete for Atlantic 10 and national championships while providing a world-class experience for all of its student athletes regardless of scholarship status. “

The individual basketball players commented publicly on Jenna Nelson’s allegations on their Instagram stories. According to Evan Nicely, director of athletics communications, this statement was not an official statement from the sports department or the women’s basketball coaching team.

“In light of recent events, we as a team feel the need to tackle the slander against VCU women’s basketball. It was a shock to see the allegations against our program. We are proud of our core values ​​that we embody every day … We are a championship-level team and we feel the need to surround ourselves with competitors who challenge us to improve, ”the statement said.

Jenna Nelson’s mother, Lakisha Nelson, said in an interview that she and her daughters are still working to be heard by VCU.

“Our goal is still to speak to the president [of VCU,] We’d like to speak to someone about the sports department so that we can at least be heard, ”said Lakisha Nelson. “We asked for help and it felt like we were being punished now – because we got in touch.”

In response to the statement, the athlete said that despite being offered the same “materialistic” items, she was still not treated fairly in terms of equipment, meals and clothing.

“What I am emphasizing is that I have been told many, many times that I would be stuck because I wasn’t a scholarship holder,” said Jenna Nelson. “I just wanted the same respect, fairness and opportunities.”

Kaitlyn Fulmore contributed to this report.


[ad_2]

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.