The man that recruited the four white players, Robby Wells, was the first white head coach in the history of Savannah State. But he was fired in January, after just two years, and just prior to the date the white recruits were scheduled to sign their letters of intent by Jan. 31.
The suit against Savannah State, filed in the U.S. District Court in Atlanta, alleges the historically black university’s “discrimination on the basis of race was for the purpose and had the effect of perpetuating segregation in higher education,”
Savannah State attorney Joe Steffen counters the claim by stating that “these kids did not have scholarship offers, period,” Steffen said. “There is no written commitment between them and the university. We didn’t even know who some of these individuals were before the suit was filed.”
Robby Wells also believes that he was fired from his position because of his race. However, there is one longtime golf coach at Savannah State who is a white man.
Also, Steffen said Wednesday the university has no record of scholarship offers to any of the four white players. The attorney added that Wells may have made verbal offers to the players without informing Savannah State administrators, but the coach had no authority to promise scholarships without approval from the school’s athletic director.
“I feel sorry for the kids if they were led to believe that somehow Savannah State University considered them to be official recruits,” he said told reporters. “because in no way, shape or form were they.” –terry shropshire
