Prairie View A&M Coach Dawn Brown believes she was unjustly fired from the head basketball coach position after suspending two players for having a relationship. Dawn Brown told USA Today that team rules prohibited players having relationships with other players, assistants, managers, and personnel affiliated with the team. Brown cited that the rule was created after an assistant coach was caught having a relationship with a player. Brown also stated that she contacted the school’s Title XI coordinator before the suspension and was told that the suspension was fine.
The suspended players filed suit claiming that they were suspended due to their sexual orientation and that the team rule that prohibited dating was a Title XI violation. The two players were dismissed from the team but retained their scholarships and remained at the school.
In response to the suit, Prairie View A&M launched their own investigation and found that suspending players because they are dating is discriminatory based on sexual orientation and is also a violation of Title IX. Brown was fired after the investigation was completed.
Brown led the Panthers to the 2014 SWAC championship and a 16-seed in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Connecticut 87-44 in the first round. She was 41-51 in three seasons, including 13-15 this season.
Brown said the following to USA today:
“Clearly, I feel betrayed and unjustly penalized by this action,”
The decision to suspend the players was extremely difficult for me but was made with consultation, encouragement and approval” of the athletics director
The lesson here is simple. If a team rule remotely feels like discrimination, get a new rule.
