Three African-American basketball players have filed a lawsuit against a small southwest Missouri college, claiming it treated them differently than white players before kicking them out of the school, allegedly without justification.
The plaintiffs — Breauna Carter, Amalia Harris, and Dajanae Wilson — claimed that Cottey College, a women’s college with about 350 residential students in Nevada, Missouri, had offered them all athletic and academic scholarships for the 2015-16 school year. It then violated the women’s civil rights by creating a racially hostile environment, selectively enforcing its policies and procedures, and retaliating against them for complaining, according to the complaint.
The women also alleged that, during the 2015-16 basketball season, Athletic Director and Women’s Basketball Coach Stephanie Beason, treated them differently than their white counterparts. Further, they claimed that Beason punished them more severely than white players, ridiculed them, and did not give them equal playing time.
The players alleged that Beason referred to them as the “Black Attack,” and often divided the team into black and white players during practice. In addition, she was careful not to play the black players at the same time during games, even though seven of the 13 players on the team were black, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit also charges that Mari Ann Phillips, vice president of student life, expelled the three students after one semester, who wrote that they had “repeatedly engaged in behavior that has been disruptive and intimidating, and that has created an unreasonable risk or danger to the safety of other students.”
To make matters worse, the school withheld the women’s transcripts, making it difficult for them to enroll in another school.
The plaintiffs, through attorney Daniel Zmijewski, allege that the school violated its own policies and procedures by denying the players an opportunity to appeal the decision.
A spokesman for Cottey released the following statement to Inside Higher Ed: “Given that the matter has proceeded to litigation, we believe commenting on the particulars would be inappropriate, except to say that there has been no unlawful treatment of our students. Cottey College is committed to equal opportunity and an inclusive college experience for all students, in the academic, athletic and co-curricular settings. We take these matters very seriously and are committed to providing a sound, healthy campus environment for all of our students, including our student athletes.”
