FAMU walked away from $650,000. Months later, AD John Davis still hasn’t explained why

FAMU Athletics says it needs more resources and money. Yet when Georgia canceled a 2028 football game, the university agreed to walk away from a $650,000 contractual payment — and has offered little public explanation.

Three Key Takeaways

• $650,000 left on the table: FAMU agreed to terminate its 2028 football contract with Georgia without receiving the $650,000 payment associated with the cancellation.

• Davis signed the agreement: Athletic Director John Davis signed the Jan. 13 mutual termination agreement prepared by Georgia Athletic Director Josh Brooks.

• Questions remain: FAMU has not publicly explained why it waived the payment or whether it received anything in return.

FAMU has spent much of the past year confronting the financial realities of modern college athletics, including the need for greater investment and more resources for its athletic programs.

That makes one decision particularly difficult to reconcile.

When the University of Georgia sought to cancel its scheduled 2028 football game against FAMU, the university agreed to terminate the contract without collecting the $650,000 payment associated with the cancellation.

More than three months after the details became public, FAMU has yet to explain why.

Athletic Director John Davis has not publicly provided a detailed explanation. Neither has President Marva B. Johnson.  Nothing.  Zilch.  Silent as church mice.

According to a Jan. 13 letter obtained by the Athens Banner-Herald through an open-records request, Georgia Athletic Director Josh Brooks prepared a mutual termination agreement releasing Georgia from its obligations associated with the game.

Davis signed the agreement for FAMU.

A significant amount for FAMU

The $650,000 is hardly insignificant for an FCS athletic department like FAMU that operates on the margins of financail stability.

Guarantee payments from games against major-conference opponents can help finance coaching, recruiting, travel, equipment and student-athlete support. FAMU has also acknowledged the growing financial demands of operating athletics in an era of escalating costs and new revenue pressures.

A $650,000 test of leadership

The Georgia deal puts the spotlight squarely on Davis and Johnson.

Davis signed the agreement releasing Georgia from its $650,000 obligation. Neither he nor Johnson has explained why.  They've both been as quite as "church mice".

For leaders overseeing an athletic department that says it needs more money and resources, that silence is difficult to reconcile with responsible financial stewardship.

Davis entered the job without any experience running an athletic program, at the high school level or college level. Johnson is overseeing athletics during one of the most financially disruptive periods in college sports. That makes accountability — not silence — essential.

FAMU supporters are left with a canceled game, a signed agreement and $650,000 left on the table.

No explanation. No accounting. Just silence.

For Davis and Johnson, that silence may ultimately say as much about their leadership as the decision itself.