The NCAA on Wednesday approved a Boise State request to provide immediate assistance to a homeless football signee.
Earlier this month, Idaho television station KTVB chronicled the remarkable story of Boise State football signee Antoine Turner, a Hurricane Katrina survivor from New Orleans who has been homeless off and on while playing football at Fullerton (Calif.) Junior College.
According to the Idaho Statesman, few California junior colleges have dorms and those that do require payment. After living with his girlfriend's family for a while, the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Turner is homeless again and plans to live in hotels and his girlfriend's car until reporting to Boise State at the end of the month.
According to KTVB, viewers reached out to the station looking for ways to help the 21-year-old Turner. But NCAA rules make that problematic and any help he receives could affect his eligibility, as the Boise State compliance office noted in a message to KTVB sports director Jay Tust:
We need to make it clear to your viewers and Bronco fans that it is NOT permissible within NCAA rules for boosters of Boise State athletics to provide benefits to Mr. Turner. That would include money, loans, gifts, discounts, transportation costs, etc.
While Mr. Turner's need is abundantly clear, it is not permissible for Boise State, the athletics department or supporters of the athletics department to assist Mr. Turner at this time. Once Mr. Turner arrives on campus for the start of the summer school program, he will be well taken care of--receiving full tuition, room and board, books, fees etc. In the meantime, the compliance office is exploring a potential waiver with the NCAA that would allow us to provide assistance prior to the start of summer school.
As for potential Good Samaritans who have no affiliation with Boise State, BSU compliance told Tust that the only help he could receive without running afoul of NCAA rules would be from "people with logical ties to Antoine before your story was made public."
On Wednesday, the NCAA approved Boise State's request to provide immediate assistance itself:
According to the Statesman, school officials plan to contact Turner immediately to find out how they can help him.