prairie view a&m basketball coach dawn brown was fired this week amidst controversy. earlier this season, brown suspended an assistant coach and player after she learned they were dating each other.
the university told brown she was removed because she violated title ix by discriminating against the players. brown says the school's own title ix administrator approved the players' suspension. "clearly, i feel betrayed and unjustly penalized by this action," brown said.
brown said the ladies' relationship broke a team rule she implemented before this season. the rule states, "players may not have nonprofessional relationships with other players, coaches, managers, trainers, or any other persons affiliated with the program." brown also said she "collaborated with my title ix office in drafting" the new rule.
brown further stated both former players were suspended indefinitely but retained their scholarships and remained at the school. moreover, brown said the players were punished for breaking other team principles - which she declined to specify.
the former players filed a complaint alleging their dismissal was due to their sexual orientation, and the resulting action violated title ix. the 1972 landmark case prohibits sexual discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
but according to the houston press, title ix wasn't applied to sexual orientation until three months ago. in december 2015, u.s. district judge dean pregerson in california ruled a case - involving two pepperdine university women's basketball players targeted by the coach for an intimate partnership - deserved legal protection.
garry rosenfield, brown's agent, said prairie view a&m gave his client a choice to resign or be terminated for cause. rosenfield said, "we definitely think this is a case of scapegoating." dennis cordell, president of coaches, inc., a sports marketing agency, said brown will appeal. "we feel she's been wrongfully terminated," cordell said.
brown led the panthers to the 2014 swac championship, and a number 16 seed in the ncaa tournament this year. prairie view a&m lost to connecticut 87-44 in the first round. brown was 41-51 in three seasons, including a 13-15 record this season.
i am
- mark j. tuggle
- harlem, usa
- same-gender-loving contemporary descendant of enslaved africans. community activist, feminist, health educator, independent filmmaker, mentor, playwright, poet & spiritual being. featured at, in & on africana.com, afrikan poetry theatre, angel herald, bejata dot com, bet tonight with tavis smiley, blacklight online, black noir, brooklyn moon cafe, gmhc's barbershop, klmo-fm, lgbt community services center, longmoor productions, nuyorican poets cafe, our corner, poz, pulse, rolling out new york, rush arts gallery, saint veronica's church, schomburg center for research in black culture, sexplorations, the citizen, the new york times, the soundz bar, the trenton times, the village voice, upn news, uzuri, venus, vibe, wbai-fm, wnyc-fm & wqht-fm. volunteered with adodi, bailey house, inc., black men's xchange-new york, colorofchange.org, drug policy alliance, east harlem tutorial program, imagenation film & music festival, presente.org, save darfur coalition, the enough project, the osborne association, the sledge group & your black world. worked on films with maurice jamal & heather murphy. writing student of phil bertelsen & ed bullins. mjt975@msn.com.
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