By Ellen J. Staurowsky, Ed.D., Senior Writer and Retired Professor, Sports Media, Ithaca College, staurows@ithaca.edu
On February 6, 2026, six women basketball players who were once members of the University of Pittsburgh’s (Pitt’s) team filed individual lawsuits alleging that the head coach of the program, Tory Verdi, had created a toxic, discriminatory, and retaliatory environment. The players further alleged that Pitt administrators failed to address Verdi’s behavior leading to the constructive dismissal of those players from the team. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the six complaints are likely to be consolidated given the similarity of the issues raised and the nature of the factual allegations. In response to questions from USA Today regarding whether Coach Verdi would continue actively coaching after the lawsuits were filed, Pitt issued a statement indicating that the allegations “were without merit” and that the university was prepared to offer a “vigorous defense” (Northam, 2026, para. 5).
The Women’s Basketball Program at Pitt Under Coach Verdi’s &
Athletic Department Staff Leadership
According to the claims made by the players, Coach Verdi exercised near total control over every aspect of the women’s lives who were members of the team. Painting a picture of a coercive coach who abused his authority, the players report an atmosphere where they were discouraged from speaking up and were punished if they did so. Fostering a climate of fear and retaliation, players suffered emotionally by being subjected to public shaming and pressure to perform. The Plaintiffs note that to their knowledge, no men athletes at Pitt were subjected to the kind of treatment they received from Coach Verdi.
Rather than being given feedback to help develop and improve, players allege the coach demeaned them and undermined their confidence. The players report being stigmatized if they sought help for mental health concerns, mocked for their physical appearance, and suspected of being lazy if they were hurt or injured. The coach is alleged to have made xenophobic remarks, reminding international players that they were vulnerable to deportation from governmental entities like ICE. Plaintiffs further assert that Coach Verdi fostered racial division on the team, pitting white players against Black players. The tensions arising from the racialized dynamic on the team are alleged to have compounded the mistreatment experienced by Black players and amplified the harms done in light of that mistreatment (greater isolation, more psychological stress, fewer opportunities to play, less latitude if they made a mistake and less grace for the mistakes they did make compared to their similarly situated white teammates). At least one player of the six reported being placed in the transfer portal by her coach constituting what amounted to a constructive expulsion from the team triggering the cancellation of her athletic scholarship and attendant support. According to the complaint, Coach Verdi and the athletic department did not abide by National Collegiate Athletic Association rules that require that athletes be accorded notice and due process and be provided avenues for appeal of such actions. A list of the individual Plaintiffs and brief profiles are listed in Table 1.
Table 1. Six Former Pitt Women Basketball Players Alleging Hostile Environment/Coach Abuse
*Note: The record on Favor Ayodele reflects competing information in player bios and the complaint. Her bio on the Grand Canyon website lists that she was a sophomore at Western Nebraska in 2021-2022. Grand Canyon changed the bio after a request for clarification.
Allegations That Pitt Administrators Were on Notice and Deliberately Indifferent
Coach Verdi was hired in the spring of 2023. During his first full year as head coach of the Pitt Women’s Basketball Program in 2023-2024, the associate athletic director Jennifer Tuscano and then athletic director, Heather Lyke, were informed by at least one player and through exit interviews with other players of a litany of concerns regarding Verdi’s alleged mistreatment of players. Based on information in the complaints, mounting concern regarding the climate on the team was expressed by a wider range of people including players, family members, coaching staff, and one former assistant coach. According to the players, University officials were deliberately indifferent to their concerns, failed to investigate, and made no effort to protect the interests of the athletes. Relative to Title IX, the University’s grievance procedures were found to be “opaque, inaccessible, and ineffective in practice” (Makayla Elmore v. University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania et al., 2026).
Causes of Action
Although the causes of action vary slightly from one lawsuit to the other, they basically encompass violations of Title IX and the 14th Amendment through the creation of a hostile environment, retaliation, and constructive exclusion on the parts of both the University and Coach Verdi. The Plaintiffs also allege that the removal of their athletic scholarships constituted breach of contracts and deprivation of property interests. Further, the Plaintiffs seek to hold Coach Verdi accountable in his individual capacity for infliction of emotional distress and the University accountable for negligent infliction of emotional distress as well as a failure to provide the players with equitable process under Title IX. The University is also accused of being negligent in not thoroughly vetting Coach Verdi before hiring him, failing to supervise him after he took over the program, and retaining him in light of the harms done to the players and the concerns raised.
Plaintiffs’ Prayer for Relief
The Plaintiffs seek relief in several forms. They are looking for declaratory and injunctive relief from both the University and Coach Verdi regarding the violation of the players’ civil rights, an agreement to cease any further retaliation against players, and instituting and implementing meaningful mental health protections and due process avenues in the University’s grievance procedures. They are also pursuing both compensatory and punitive damages.
References
Northam, M. (2026, February 10). 6 women’s basketball players sue Pitt for ‘hostile environment’. USA Today.
Pereles, Z. (2026, February 10). Six former Pitt women’s basketball players sue school, coach Tory Verdi for Title IX violations, abuse. CBSSports.com.
Complaints
Favor Ayodele v. University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Tory Verdi, an individual. Case No. 2:26-cv-226. in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. February 6, 2026.
Raeven Boswell v. University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Tory Verdi, an individual. Case No. 2:26-cv-221. in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. February 6, 2026.
Makayla Elmore v. University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Tory Verdi, an individual. Case No. 2:26-cv-225. in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. February 6, 2026.
Brooklyn Miles v. University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Tory Verdi, an individual. Case No. 2:26-cv-222. in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. February 6, 2026.
Isabella Perkins v. University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Tory Verdi, an individual. Case No. 2:26-cv-219. in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. February 6, 2026.
Jasmine Timmerson v. University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Tory Verdi, an individual. Case No. 2:26-cv-223. in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. February 6, 2026.
