http://lehighfootballnation.blogspot.co … triot.html
Today, I’ll talk about whether the Patriot League is affected at all by this move by Rhode Island – because as things stand right now with the league and their stance on offering largely need-based aid, it doesn’t appear to be.
The problems are neatly summed up by a member of the Providence Journal’s URI Forum, a meeting place for fans of the URI program. Reaction to the Rams’ football move to the NEC have been mixed there, and some members were motivated to ask the Rams’ athletic director, Thorr Bjorn, about his thought process. He was specifically asked, "why the NEC? Wouldn’t the Patriot League be a better option for URI, with games versus A-10 leaguemate Fordham and nearby Holy Cross?"
Of interest is a statement by URI Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn, when pressed about why the Patriot League was not considered a possible destination for URI, he reportedly wrote an email saying that the PL "would be offering [non-need-based] scholarships soon".
If true, this is the first account anywhere that merit-based aid is coming to Patriot League football.