This is a PRIVATE GoFundMe. Please do not share this publicly in order to protect the privacy of these players and CU Athletics. PLEASE DO NOT POST THIS GOFUNDME PUBLICLY.

HELP….A four-letter word that is difficult to say, especially when requesting for yourself. I admit my stubborn “just do it myself” attitude often keeps me from reaching out. But, because I have a deep passion for taking care of CU Football players, I am creating my first ever GoFundMe page to ask for help on behalf of some of them who either won’t ask for help, or don’t have people to ask with the financial means to help them. Behind their tough exterior lies a world of struggles that most of us may never see. These young men come to Boulder with dreams in their hearts, but too often, their challenges start before they even step foot on the field. My husband and I have witnessed firsthand the difficulties they face, stories that are never covered in the media.

I have been hesitant to publicly say anything about this situation because I do not want to put a damper on the excitement around CU football. However, there is another side of the Prime story that no one sees. These kids come here to be a part of the greatest show in town, and to “chase the bag” but quickly find out that CU bag isn’t as full as ESPN might make it appear.

There’s a heartbreaking disparity among these athletes. We have a head coach who is continually in the media and negotiating multi-million dollar deals while at the same time, some of the players cannot afford rent or gas. Many people ask me, how can this be, how does CU allow this? This is not a CU problem. CU provides excellent food and facilities, as well as scholarships for the athletes' education. The dorms on the CU campus are full. Even the incoming freshmen on the team cannot stay in the dorms due to lack of room. This is not a CU problem, it is a money management problem. As dedicated Buff fans, our dream is to see this team win another national championship, but in order to do that, we need to take care of all of the players, not just the media stars.

When Coach Prime arrived, the excitement was palpable, but it brought chaos too. He was the first to leverage the transfer portal, bringing in around 50 new players who arrived without housing or financial support. We took in two players last summer, opening our home to them and helping them settle in. In order to help them get into apartments, I co-signed their leases (not my wisest decision), but they both left after the season, breaking their leases and leaving behind a financial mess. While I know how to recover, I worry for these young men, who will most likely struggle for years because of those poor decisions.

In August 2023, we welcomed Brendan Gant, another Florida State transfer, into our home. He arrived excited to play but soon faced a significant injury that kept him from playing, and instead redshirted. When he redshirted, the team did not give him the money they promised. He had no money and no place to go so he lived with us for three months, along with his girlfriend and their adorable one-year-old son. I finally went to Rick George about the situation and after Rick had a conversation with Prime’s team finance manager, they somehow found the money to pay Brendan.

We have not only housed players, we have rented moving trucks, moved furniture, set up beds, paid to ship boxes home and cooked meals. I have no regret for any of the time or money I spent supporting these players. I love these kids and want to help. I will continue to care for them in whatever way I can. We just took in another player, Reggie Hughes, a transfer from Jacksonville State. I am sad to see a similar financial story playing out again…which has prompted me to create my first ever GoFundMe Page.

Like many before him, he comes from a challenged financial background and his father is incarcerated. He spent $2800, which was basically all the money he had, to ship his car and all of his belongings to Colorado. He arrived Friday and I received a call from someone in the recruiting department asking if I could help Reggie get into Brendan’s place. Brendan had left a set of keys with me. The staff had connected Brendan with Reggie with the intention that Reggie would take over Brendan’s lease. However, since Brendan had not received any more funds from CU, he had no way to pay January rent. Brendan played in the bowl game and after that went directly home to Florida. Reggie showed up to his new “home” to find past due rent and a filthy apartment with no furniture. I couldn’t let him stay there so I took him to dinner and brought him to our house for the night. I was able to get some amazing cleaners in there the next day to clean it for him and helped him get some furniture. I covered the cleaning cost, but I simply do not have the financial means to cover rent and past due utilities, which totals around $3,000. So, I am doing what is very difficult for me to do and that is ask for help so that I can help Reggie get off to a successful start at CU.

If I had the means, I would cover everything myself, but after a challenging 2023, I’m humbly asking my community for assistance. Any contributions from this GoFundMe campaign will go directly toward paying Reggie’s January rent and settling the past due utility bills left by Brendan.

Together, we can help these young men feel supported and valued, reminding them that they are not alone in this journey. Thank you for any help you can offer.

If you have any more questions about this situation, or anything I have shared, you can reach me at [phone redacted].

Thank you for your help and as always, #SKOBUFFS!