YES HBCU Football Classic Cancellation: Founder Ernest Ruffin Says 'It's My Fault'

HOUSTON -- Ernest Ruffin says the cancellation of the YES HBCU Football Classic in the Bahamas is his fault.

The founder of Young Entrepreneurz Solutions (YES) told HBCU Legends in an interview that the Bahamian government agreed in principle to fund the event but never executed the contract. A backup plan involving government-owned Bahamasair to transport the teams also fell through, he said.

“This is Ruff’s fault,” Ruffin said. “Let’s be clear, this is not the Bahamas’ fault, although they did not do what they said they were going to do. This is my fault for trusting folks I just really met.”

Morehouse College and Kentucky State University were scheduled to meet Nov. 7 at the original Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau. The game would have marked the return of American college football to the Bahamas after approximately a decade.

On Oct. 26, YES announced the cancellation of both the football game and the YES HBCU Basketball Classic, originally scheduled for Dec. 3-5 in Nassau.

Morehouse and Kentucky State will still meet Nov. 7, but the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup has been relocated to Kentucky State’s campus in Frankfort, Kentucky. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

YES Bahamas HBCU Classic - Morehouse College vs. Kentucky State | Y.E.S.

A Failed Agreement

Ruffin said YES began meeting with Bahamas Sports Tourism officials in February and March. Following an administrative restructuring, the government merged the sports tourism office into the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

According to Ruffin, ministry officials requested a three-year proposal encompassing the HBCU football classic, basketball tournament, and YES National Business Plan Challenge.

He said the proposal was reviewed and approved around June, with representatives from both sides celebrating the agreement over lunch.

When asked whether the parties had agreed to the terms, Ruffin acknowledged that the officials from the Bahamas did not execute the contract.

“I never got the contract back,” Ruffin verified.

He said officials repeatedly assured him the contract was forthcoming. However, in late August, he said officials told him the government could not complete the proposed airfare arrangement.

In the Oct. 26 announcement, Ruffin said he was frustrated that the funding decision had not been communicated in May or June, when organizers would have had more time to make alternative arrangements.

“I worked off of an agreement,” Ruffin said. A few weeks before changing their agreement, the Bahamian officials met with Ruffin at a press conference in Nassau.

He also acknowledged receiving a warning from Curtis Symonds, President of HBCU GO, who reportedly encountered similar difficulties while attempting to organize an event in the Bahamas with BET.

“He warned me. It’s 2026. A whole new group of people,” Ruffin said.

Bahamasair Travel Arrangements Fall Through

Following the stalled contract negotiations, Ruffin said Bahamian officials offered assistance through a local organizing committee responsible for making direct payments to vendors supporting international sporting events.

Under that arrangement, the committee was expected to cover accommodations at Atlantis, meals, and ground transportation for the participating teams.

Ruffin also requested government assistance in arranging Bahamasair flights for Morehouse and Kentucky State.

He said YES initially held approximately $4,000 in airline deposits for each team through American Airlines. However, Ruffin said government representatives repeatedly assured him that Bahamasair would provide transportation.

“They swear they can get it done and they didn’t get it done,” Ruffin said.

By late September or early October, Ruffin said he learned the Bahamasair arrangement would not materialize. By then, the deposits for the original commercial flights had expired.

Ruffin said transporting Morehouse from Atlanta remained possible through commercial airlines, but moving Kentucky State from Lexington, Kentucky, presented additional challenges.

Because smaller aircraft served Lexington, he estimated Kentucky State would have needed three separate flights.

Charter flight estimates ranged from $150,000 to $160,000 per aircraft, Ruffin said. A combined charter departing Atlanta would have exceeded $200,000 and required Kentucky State to make a five-hour bus trip before boarding.

With Kentucky State competing for an SIAC championship, Ruffin said that option created additional logistical difficulties.

He also said the local organizing committee did not ultimately provide the promised hotel accommodations and ground transportation.

When Morehouse and Kentucky State Learned of the Cancellation

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Ruffin said he notified officials at Morehouse and Kentucky State on Oct. 22 or 23. The schools subsequently decided on Oct. 26 that they would not travel to the Bahamas.

Asked why he hadn't notified the institutions earlier, Ruffin said he kept pursuing alternatives in hopes of saving the event.

Those efforts included contacting basketball legend and businessman Magic Johnson for possible assistance.

“It’s our game,” Ruffin said. “So I tried to make it happen.”

Ruffin also disputed reports suggesting that the participating teams did not know where they would stay during the trip.

He described those claims as “totally, totally, 250% false,” saying both institutions had already completed rooming lists for Atlantis.

According to Ruffin, Morehouse’s agreement with YES includes a cancellation clause requiring a specified payment. He declined to disclose the amount.

Despite criticizing the Bahamian government’s handling of the proposed arrangements, Ruffin said he does not intend to pursue legal action.

“It’s my fault. Right, it’s our game,” he said.

YES Addresses Refunds and the Relocated Nov. 7 Game

Ruffin said YES will refund travel packages purchased directly through the organization and has already processed several ticket refunds for purchases made through its website.

He said only a couple of customers who purchased travel packages had requested refunds, while some fans still intended to visit Nassau.

YES is also planning a watch party at Atlantis for the relocated Morehouse-Kentucky State game.

Ruffin said the organization independently financed its September National Business Plan Challenge at Atlantis to demonstrate good faith toward its Bahamian partners.

However, he concluded that committing several hundred thousand additional dollars to the football and basketball events without the anticipated financial support was no longer feasible.

What’s Next for the YES HBCU Classics?

Despite the cancellations, Ruffin said YES intends to return to the Bahamas in 2027 with a different financial and operational strategy.

He said future events will not depend on Bahamian government sponsorship.

Instead, YES plans to purchase group airline tickets by March, securing approximately 85 seats per participating team once schools commit to the event.

Ruffin also said future agreements will include stronger contractual protections for participating institutions.

According to Ruffin, YES has meetings scheduled with three financial institutions in November and January to explore additional funding arrangements.

He said the organization also signed a five-year agreement with Newark, New Jersey, to operate a regional entrepreneurship competition involving 12 middle school teams in the Bahamas.

HBCU Media Criticism and Promoter Accountability

The cancellation has renewed questions about financial guarantees, contractual protections, and the responsibilities of independent promoters organizing HBCU football classics.

Vaughn Wilson of HBCU Gameday has advocated a zero-tolerance approach to canceled classics and urged participating schools to require graduated payments from event promoters.

Ruffin acknowledged that the criticism was justified.

“He’s not wrong,” Ruffin said. “I’m very, very upset that I could not pull this off.”

For Ruffin, the experience underscores the consequences of proceeding with a major international sporting event without a fully executed financial agreement.

Although he maintains that Bahamian officials failed to deliver promised assistance, Ruffin has repeatedly accepted responsibility for the outcome.

HBCU Legends contacted the Bahamas Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Disclosure: Kyle T. Mosley is a Morehouse College graduate and previously attended a YES HBCU Basketball Classic in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

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