Having played their season opener on Monday night, the Seminoles effectively had just two days of practice to get ready for the Buccaneers, who entered the game ranked seventh in the FCS Coaches Poll. Senior Ben Robinson, a Tallahassee native, was one of the suspended running backs and watched the game from the stands with his family.
Robinson took to Facebook just hours after learning of his suspension, which is the result of an ongoing investigation by the school into improper purchases by athletes using scholarship money in the CSU bookstore.
'Now the school and the NCAA are saying that it is against the rules. Apparently, Robinson and some other players used leftover money allotted for books on other bookstore products.
Senior wide receiver Colton Korn lashed out at the school on Facebook as well for allegedly failing to communicate the rule that prohibited players from spending the money on other supplies.
Offensive lineman Frank Cirone said the entire offensive line was among those suspended. He also posted: "It is unfortunate Charleston Southern only cares about itself as an institution".
'The protection of its students/athletes should be a number one priority.
Last week, Charleston Southern athletic director Hank Small announced that Chadwell would be suspended for the October 8 game against Albany State for improperly using social media to make contact with a recruit. He said the issue was brought to the University's attention through a compliance review.
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The biggest thing for the 'Noles is getting out of this game relatively healthy as they prepare for ACC Conference play.
The FSU Florida State Seminoles take on Charleston Southern today in a college football game on the second weekend of the 2016 schedule.
Overall, 32 players will serve one-game suspensions - 16 have already served their penalties and two others will sit out at a later date.
"Let me say this about the team: I was very proud of the guys that came down here under the circumstances and the way they fought", said Chadwell, who team plays four of its first five games of the season on the road.
Eight football players sat out games in each of the first two weeks of the season. NCAA rules do not limit how much money programs can give athletes to spend on textbooks, but the money must be "equal to the actual cost of the books purchased".
While the situation is now investigated, Charleston Southern is at risk of having to vacate any games that could conceivably see a player in violation of the NCAA rules steps foot on the field. Charleston Southern won the Big South Conference past year and advanced to the quarterfinals in the program's first-ever FCS playoff appearance.
