The head coach of the women’s basketball team at Prairie View A&M University has been fired for suspending two teammates who were dating. She claims that school officials backed her decision and that she was not discriminating against the students based on their sexual orientation.
The Prairie View, Texas, school announced last Tuesday that Dawn Brown would not be returning to coach the Lady Panthers. Brown said that her termination was due to allegedly violating Title IX, even though the Title IX coordinator approved her decision to suspend the girls.
She added that although the decision was difficult, it was also made with the “consultation, encouragement and approval” of the athletics director.
“Clearly, I feel betrayed and unjustly penalized by this action,” Brown told USA TODAY Sports.
She said she suspended the women from the team because their romantic involvement with each other broke a team rule: “Players may not have nonprofessional relationships with other players, coaches, managers, trainers, or any other persons affiliated.” Brown said this rule was implemented after an assistant coach was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with a player.
She noted that the two former team members had also violated other rules that she declined to discuss in detail.
The students filed a complaint stating that their removal from the basketball team was based on their gay relationship, and that the suspension violated Title IX, a law which bans discrimination based on sex at schools that receive federal funding.
Dennis Cordell, the president of the sports agency Coaches Inc., said “We feel [Brown has] been wrongfully terminated.”
Larissa Scott, a senior athlete at Prairie View A&M, told Chron that she’s let down by the news of Brown’s firing.
“It’s a dramatic loss,” Scott said. “Everybody was expecting her to come back next year doing bigger and better things, especially with the new team she had coming in.
“As far as my teammates, they’re kind of in a lose-lose situation not knowing who the new coach might be or what’s really just going on with Coach Brown herself.”
Brown was 41-51 in three seasons. She also led the Lady Panthers to their fourth consecutive SWAC title in 2014.
According to Brown’s agent, Gary Rosenfield, she has the option of appealing the decision after she receives evidentiary basis for the termination from Prairie View A&M.
Do you think it was fair or unfair for Brown to be fired?
