The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees has halted the contract approval of newly hired basketball coach Patrick Crarey. The Board of Trustees met on Monday to review and potentially approve a three-year contract valued at $450,000 – equating to $150,000 a year – signed by Crarey on April 17th to head the Rattlers men's basketball program. Nevertheless, various concerns voiced by board members led to the contract not being approved and its suspension until August.

“At this point, given where we are and the concerns we all have about the process and the need for additional information, I move that we table this discussion until further notice from the chair of the appropriate date, and that can be as soon as our upcoming August retreat or before,” trustee Kelvin Lawson said during the meeting.

Concerns among trustees arose due to rumors of 16 players being dismissed from the basketball team. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that they had obtained a letter to Florida A&M University President Dr. Larry Robinson from the senior minister of Bethel AME Church, The Rev. Dr. Julius McAllister.

In the letter, he expressed his discontent regarding 16 players, including his son, Colin, being informed via telephone on April 27 that they were dismissed from the team by Crarey without being allowed to compete for a spot, “as promised by AD Sykes.” McAllister mentioned that Crarey's notification came at the start of FAMU's final exams and just days before the college basketball transfer portal entry deadline on May 1.

“It is my strong opinion that if Coach Crarey and AD Sykes have made decisions to release players from their scholarships and forced them to transfer two days before the closing of the portal (the portal closed on May 1, 2024), Mr. Crarey should not be hired as the next coach of the university’s Male Basketball Team and AD Sykes should be required to answer tough questions and thoroughly explain the circumstances surrounding the authorization of the dismissal of an entire basketball team, including questions pertaining to the intolerable treatment of our most precious investments – our young African American men,” an excerpt from the letter obtained by the Talahassee Democrat read.

Vice President of Athletics Tiffani Dawn-Sykes denied the rumors during the Board of Trustees meeting, saying, “All of the student-athletes were not dismissed. It is not true that all of their scholarships were taken and all 13 people on scholarship were dismissed from the team,”

The Board of Trustees also raised concerns about Crarey coaching student-athletes before his contract was approved. Sykes clarified that this did not violate NCAA policy, as Crarey had signed a volunteer employment agreement. The Board expressed interest in participating in the contract process for new hires, requesting individual briefings from Sykes to decide on the next steps.

Sykes also spoke about how the lack of a contracted coach is affecting the team.

“There are things like scheduling, securing travel, travel contracts, ordering of equipment, awarding of scholarship, there’s really everything and right now, the men’s basketball staff is without.”

Robinson stated in the meeting that he could approve hiring Crarey on a one-year contract starting on July 1st. While a resolution is pending, Crarey may continue working with the basketball team under the terms of a volunteer employee agreement.

Crarey took on the role in April to lead the struggling Florida A&M men's basketball team. The program parted ways with longtime coach Robert McCullum in March. The Rattlers faced difficulties in the past two seasons, ending the 2022-2023 season with a 7-22 overall record (5-13 in conference) and a 6-23 overall record (4-14 in conference). An important upset occurred against Albany State University from the SIAC, leading to a 92-85 loss on November 29th.

Crarey experienced massive success at St. Thomas University, leading them to a 61-27 record, two back-to-back appearances in the NAIA Tournaments, and three consecutive winning seasons. Crarey guided the Bobcats to a 22-9, 10-4 record in the 2023-24 season, clinching the Sun Conference Regular Season Championship. They advanced to the NAIA Tournament 2nd Round and closed the season ranked 21st nationally. Crarey's exceptional coaching earned them the title of Sun Conference Coach of the Year.