Award it said he chose this college to stay closer to his mother after his father went to prison

How much truth was in the article? Can you prove the article caused you judgemental harm? What Constitutes Slander (http://www.docstoc.com/docs/1046287/What-Constitutes-Slander)

It would be libel, not slander, if it was published.

What did they say which was untrue, and did writing that harm your reputation?

Yes, did the father go to jail or prison ? The first issue will be if the statement made was true.

If his father did in fact go to prison this is public information. If this is true then it would not be slander. It would just be a case of an overzealous reporter doing more of an indepth story than was necessary.

No I did not go to prison in my 54 years of life I have spent 18 hours totalin jail

No not prison

They said I was in prison,not true. This reporter retracted his comments but it went out to 342 sports reporters that vote on my sons award that he is up for

No truth to the article, but it went out to 342 more sports writers which published theirs