There will be no HBCU football played at Saint Augustine’s University this fall as the school tries to rise from the mire of a financial quagmire that threatens its existence.
In an exclusive interview with CBS 17, Interim president Dr. Marcus Burgess says that the football program will not see the field in 2024.
“The only sport that we are going to suspend is going to be football,” he said.
This news comes roughly a week after sources revealed that there was a “99 percent chance” that the Raleigh, NC-based HBCU football program would not play this fall. Saint Augustine’s University is facing a huge financial crisis thanks largely to a multi-million dollar tax lien and two years of not paying creditors, along with an accreditation loss.
“It will take roughly 27 to 28 million dollars and 30 million for good judgment because there’s still deferred maintenance pieces that have to happen,” Dr. Burgess said in the interview. The school is scheduled to miss payroll for the third consecutive time.
Saint Augustine’s football went 0-10 last season, firing first-year head coach Howard Feggins two-thirds into the season. Feggins is suing the school for wrongful termination, among other things. SAU football has not recorded a winning season since 2012.
SAU’s absence will mean the CIAA will be down to 11 football teams for at least one season. SAU was scheduled to play every team in the CIAA South (Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith, Livingstone College, Shaw and Winston-Salem State) as well as Elizabeth City State and Lincoln University.
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