$1 million donation withdrawn by Kent State alumni

KENT, Ohio - When Doug Brown was assigned to cover a story about Jason Cope, a man who donated $1 million to the Kent State University Athletic Department, he didn't think too much about it. The grad student is a reporter for the Daily Kent Stater, the student-run newspaper. 

While researching the story, Brown found out Cope had some SEC litigation about 12 years ago. After talking to the Athletic Director, Brown tried to contacting Cope to ask a few questions. 

"My next goal is to track down Jason Cope himself which I could not do. I tried all listed numbers online through his business, then I went to his house."

With no luck, Brown wrote his story with the information he had. When he finished writing it, he received an email stating the donation was withdrawn. Also canceled was the renaming of the MAC Center's basketball court to "Cope Court."

Brown isn't sure how to feel. He said he wasn't advocating the money be pulled, adding he's overwhelmed by the national attention he -- and his story -- has received since it was published. 

"It's going to be great for my resume down the line. I'll just link to blog posts. It's pretty cool. But I'm only as good as my last story."