It is almost certainly BS. I went to the U a long time ago but Carlson never had any issues with athletes at any level and I highly doubt they do now. That is some serious spin to cover up the real reasons...
Typical message board rumor mongering.
Hmmmm… I went to Carlson and I could seem a path to some truth.
It could be the way we read it vs what was said is not perfectly communicated.
The degree page states they Strongly prefer people with Work experience.
So if your Jamison Battle, and your advisor says your application doesn’t compare to someone coming from PricewaterhouseCoopers how do you take it?
You say “they look down on/don’t want athletes” - I think maybe that could be something.
It just all in how it’s framed and communicated on both sides.
And who knows, maybe it was Ben that said, put your application in, but also put your name in the portal. Maybe you can get into another school and still play. Or maybe your longshot Carlson App gets accepted, and if so pull your name out.
Anyhow, there are enough unknowns to see this is a plausible reasoning. Along with many other possibilities.