Haskell Indians Nation University, a tribal university located in Lawrence, Kan., and competing in NAIA, announced Thursday it will suspend its football program for the 2015 season, citing the rising costs of college athletics.
“Conference changes, the cost of maintaining ten athletic programs, the lack of coaching staff to recruit and develop players and programs, and the dependency of Intercollegiate Athletics on university funding,” led university president Venida Chenault to halt the program for the upcoming season. In a university release (via the Lawrence Journal-World), the school said plans to scale back its athletics programs from 10 to six.
Haskell players may use the fall as “a developmental year for academic and physical conditioning,” but the university noted it is granting releases for players that have arranged them. Still, there is no guarantee the program will return, as the announcement says this fall will be used to determine the “viability” of the program long-term.
Naturally, Haskell’s players did not take the news kindly.So.. I left my loved ones and traveled 800 miles chasing a dream that has now been taken from me AGAIN for the 2nd time in my life.. Wow..💔
— Robert Ankney (@GodMadeNative) May 21, 2015
What a joke, I’ve put in three years of non-stop hard work for nothing.
— ⚡Daddy Mike⚡ (@MikeDavis918) May 21, 2015
