In a new report by USA Today, LSU Tigers stud running back Leonard Fournette’s family is suspected of violating NCAA regulations that prohibit a student-athlete from profiting on his or her likeness.
A day before the Tigers’ biggest game of the season against arch-rival Alabama, the report is a dark cloud that is sure to be talked about when the two teams take the field tomorrow evening in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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According to the claim, a man named Paul Price paid Fournette’s mom, Lory, $10,000 to create a website associated with the phrase “BUGA Nation”— which stands for “Being United Generates Attitude”—something that became associated with the star player back in high school.
Price and another man, who launched the website in 2014 before having taken it down, are believed to have offered Fournette’s family a $20,000 discount to keep the site running, with products featuring Leonard Fournette’s catchphrase available for purchase—though neither the LSU player’s image nor name appeared on the site, just LSU team colors.
Details are sure to come in, but, as we’ve seen in previous instances of players’ families doing wrongdoings like this—notably the Reggie Bush situation when he forfeited his Heisman Trophy—this could be HUGE news for the Leonard Fournette’s future in college football, as well as what it might mean for the Tigers’ program.
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