State Board Rejects Claim by Former Titans

The State Board of Control has rejected a claim by a group of former Cal State Fullerton football players against the university for withholding work-related stipends, a spokesperson said Thursday.

Jody Patel, spokesperson for the control board, said the claim lacked proper signatures. She said the board has contacted the football players’ legal counsel to obtain the proper signatures.

Fifteen former Titan players attempted to file the claim Monday,charging that the university unfairly withheld $500 in monthly stipends promised them after the school dropped the football program in December 1992. The plaintiffs are seeking damages of $100,000 each.

Their claim centers on an agreement between the university and the players to provide the players the stipend in exchange for a maximum 10 hours a week working for the university. The players charge that the agreement was unclear about the specified amount of hours required to work.

Fullerton Athletic Director Bill Shumard said the university began withholding the athletes’ stipend checks in November because the players weren’t doing the work and the school “felt they (athletes) were in violation of the agreement.

“They had signed an agreement in advance that they would have a commitment to work to earn their grant in aid,” Shumard said. “We didn’t make them work last spring because they had been through a tough time, and we wanted them to get on the same page academically.

“When the fall semester started, I was lenient at first, but the work commitment still had to be honored. As to my understanding, they feel it’s unfair.”

Shumard said the university hasn’t officially been served notice on the claim, and that it might not arise until the next 30 to 45 days.