Days after Howard Feggins was abruptly dismissed last week, just six games into his tenure at Saint Augustine’s, the former football coach held a press conference to defend himself.
According to Saint Augustine’s officials, Feggins was reportedly let go by the school because he allowed two ineligible players to participate in games.
But he explained the situation.
“It was a lapse on my part when we played Virginia Union. Kam Page, a student-athlete, wore the jersey of a player who was no longer on the team and participated. He played three snaps on kickoff return,” said Feggins, who admitted he was aware of Page’s status, but the lack of a sports information director was why the roster was not updated to reflect player eligibility.
The second player at the heart of the matter was Nyron Campbell-Adams, who, per Feggins, SAU claimed appeared in five games.
Asked by a reporter whether he had played this season, Campbell-Adams said he was in uniform against Virginia but did not play in the game.
“What happened was I had the number 41 at the beginning of the season. But it was too large for me, so another player and I swapped jerseys. The coaches knew about it, but I guess, as Coach (Feggins) said, it hadn’t been updated yet. So at games, my name was being called out for yards and stats,” said Campbell-Adams.
Campbell-Adams said he contacted SAU’s interim athletic director shortly after Feggins was fired to let them know he was eligible to play. He told reporters that as of Monday afternoon, he had received a response from the school.
Approximately 50 players attended the press conference in a show of support for their ousted former coach.
“I hope he can become the coach again and return, ” Campbell Adams said.
“It was a shock,” said wide receiver Kevin Brewington. “It was one of the last things we could have ever expected.”
Throughout his 30-minute news conference, Feggins laid out the ways he said the university did not live up to promises to players, students, supporters, and staff. The issues included failure to pay a laundry bill for uniforms and an inability to afford campus visits for recruits.
Feggins also said there was no full-time athletic trainer.
“Because we had an interim athletic trainer, we only could practice from 6 a.m. to 8. p.m. But after that, we have no athletic trainer to assist with our medical conditions,” he said.
Players also told their coaches they were forced to travel off-campus for meals because the university did not provide enough quantity to recover from practices and games.
Feggins was in year one of a three-year contract but said he was told that he would receive a buy-out. Feggins is contemplating taking legal action against Saint Augustine’s
Defensive coordinator Judy Owens was named interim head coach and served in the post in their game this past Saturday against Johnson C. Smith, a 14-6 loss.
Saint Augustine’s University declined to comment on the matter.
