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Rutgers Women’s Basketball Players Accuse It of Discrimination

By Thomas McKinney
Partner

During the 2014-2015 season for the Rutgers-Newark University Women’s Basketball Team, five players claimed discrimination due to their race, gender, and sexual orientation from their interim head coach. The interim head coach made comments about one of the player’s hair which was “nappy” and referred to two players as “nappy-headed sisters” and also told one of the players that she “combed her hair with firecrackers”. He also referred to two players as “d*kes” and as well as asking a player who was gay on the team which the player believed to be very intrusive on her privacy. Before the season started, the players were significantly tense with the selection of this interim head coach as they heard statements that he made previously on the Men’s Basketball Team which were very “colorful” and unwarranted.

During the season, he created a hostile environment in which he sat on the bench one game and decided not to coach on account of one of the players coming up to him and telling him about the comments he made. He proceeded to call that player a liar and told her to leave her jersey in his office as she would not be a member of the team any longer. Under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, employees and students are protected from discrimination due to many factors which include race, gender, and sexual orientation. In this case, the court found that a jury was entitled to decided whether Rutgers unlawfully retaliated against the players due to their race, gender, and sexual orientation.

About the Author
Tom McKinney is an experienced NJ Employment Lawyer in all major areas of labor and employment law, including discrimination, harassment, overtime violations, wage and hour claims, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, LAD, FLSA, and all other employment law claims. Tom is admitted to practice in the States of New Jersey and New York, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Southern District of New York, District of New Jersey, and United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Prior to forming the firm, Tom practiced at Gibbons P.C. in Newark, NJ. If you have any questions regarding this article, contact Tom here today.