A concert planned this month at Byrd Stadium that would feature Good Charlotte and O.A.R. has been postponed until later this fall after the NCAA said it could potentially jeopardize football players’ amateur status.

The concert, which was scheduled for April 19, was to be one of 16 Gridiron Bashes scheduled for universities around the country. Like the other events, the one on this campus was originally meant to feature a concert, a pep rally and a football scrimmage.

But the event has been postponed amid concerns it could violate NCAA rules, according to a press release from MSL Sports and Entertainment, which organized the events. The concerts would have been for-profit events, which NCAA athletes are barred from participating in.

MSL Sports and Entertainment is now planning to have the event in the fall, but students are still angry about not being able to see the two acts with Maryland roots – Good Charlotte, a pop-punk band from Waldorf, and O.A.R., a jam band from Rockville.

“I’m pissed off,” said Ankit Bhalla, a sophomore accounting major. “It’s so late in the process. People have been buying tickets. … The NCAA should have known about this.”

Refunds will be available for people who have already purchased tickets, according to an Athletics Department press release.

No concerns about violations arose until last week, when MSL Sports and Entertainment contacted the NCAA about the events. The NCAA was concerned about free tickets that would be given to athletes and about the involvement of the football players in the for-profit events.

“It sucks that they have to cancel a concert because of regulations,” said Paulina Prochownik, a sophomore journalism major. “I was really looking forward to seeing them. They’re the biggest band to come here in a while.”

But some students were more concerned about the football team.

“It’s disappointing that the concert’s canceled, but I guess it’s worth it not to jeopardize the eligibility of any of the football players,” said Adam Anderson, a sophomore computer engineering major.

Other concerts were scheduled at universities throughout the country including Penn State, West Virginia and Rutgers. The first was scheduled for this weekend at Louisiana State University.

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