NCAA says it didn't shut down Trevor Lawrence's coronavirus relief effort

Corrections & clarifications: This story has been updated to include the NCAA saying it was not behind shutting down the GoFundMe page.

A fledgling effort by Clemson football star Trevor Lawrence and his girlfriend to aid people affected by the coronavirus outbreak has been deactivated over concerns that it violated NCAA rules.

However, the NCAA has denied its rules were the reason for shutting down the campaign.

"We continue to work with member schools so they have the flexibility to ensure that student-athletes and their communities impacted by this illness are supported, and we applaud Trevor for his efforts," the NCAA said in a statement.

The sophomore quarterback started a GoFundMe campaign with his girlfriend Marissa Mowry that had already raised $2,670 before Mowry informed potential donors on her Instagram page that they were forced to deactivate the fundraiser to avoid violating NCAA rules. 

"Our intentions were to try and help everyone and that's changed a little bit," said Mowry, a soccer player at nearby Anderson University. "But we're still going to do our best to love on y'all and support one another during this hard time."

According to The State newspaper in Columbia, a Clemson compliance official informed Lawrence and Mowry they were not allowed to continue with their project because of NCAA rules that prohibit using a student-athlete's name, image and likeness for crowd funding.

That, in fact, was not what the NCAA ultimately decided.

Tuesday evening, Clemson issued a statement of its own, thanking the NCAA for "waiving restrictions that had been in place" and "allowing institutions to utilize discretion" so that Lawrence's fundraiser could continue.