HOPE scholarship money going to athletic programs Georgia football coach Jim Donnan hopes he might ease the pain of nine lost scholarships to NCAA probation by persuading players to come to Athens with HOPE money. Any student who graduates from high school with at least a B average is eligible for the lottery-funded scholarship, which pays for tuition and a book allowance at any of the state's colleges.
Athletes can use the money to supplement a partial athletic scholarship.
But for those on full athletic grants, the money goes back to the school's athletic department. Champ Bailey, now a starter on the University of Georgia football team, qualified for a HOPE scholarship with a B average from his Folkston school. Bailey told the media. Georgia football coach Jim Donnan hopes he might ease the pain of nine lost scholarships to NCAA probation by persuading players to come to Athens with HOPE money. Georgia is on probation the next two years for alleged recruiting violations.