Grambling State fired its volleyball coach Chelsey Lucas on Tuesday, according to a statement from the program’s athletics department. Lucas was with the Tigers for less than five months.
Grambling State said Lucas was fired after an internal investigation. The program plans to begin a search for its next volleyball coach this week.
Lucas, a 2007 Grambling State alum, became the team’s head coach in February. She quickly made major headlines when she decided to cut every player on the team in April, telling all 19 players individually that their scholarships would not be renewed.
When Lucas made the decision—one in which she described as making some roster changes—some team personnel were reportedly not fully aware prior to her announcement.
But when the decision was made, GSU’s sports communication director Brian Howard said that Lucas’s move to release players was one that is usually left up to the coach’s discretion.
On Tuesday, GSU athletic director Trayvean Scott said that the volleyball players who earned scholarships from the 2022-23 academic year will keep their scholarships and remain on the team. Athletes who walked on to the team will also keep their roster spot.
Before she was GSU's volleyball coach, Lucas spent six seasons at two other Southwestern Athletic Conference programs in Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Alcorn State.
