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Six former University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball players who played under head coach Tory Verdi filed a lawsuit against the coach, alleging psychological abuse abd retaliation after making complaints about their former coach, according to multiplereports.

On Friday, six former Pitt student-athletes filed individual lawsuits in the U.S. district court for the western district of Pennsylvania, alleging retaliation, Title IX violations, the creation of a hostile educational environment, intentionally inflicting emotional distress, breach of contract in the removal of student scholarships and more.

The six plaintiffs named in the lawsuit are Favor Ayodele, Makayla Elmore, Brooklynn Miles, Isabella Perkins, Jasmine Timmerson and Raeven Boswell, who remains a student at Pitt.

“This case is not about the Xs and Os of coaching,” the plaintiffs' attorney Keenan Holmes told TribLive. “Some of his actions go beyond sports. This went beyond the bounds of decency." 

Perkins’ complaint states that she was recruited to play on a scholarship from Verdi, who promised “an inclusive, empowering team environment.” But she claims she suffered “public humiliation, verbal degradation, arbitrary reductions in playing time, exclusion from team activities, favoritism of other players, manipulation of player statistics and inappropriate commentary regarding plaintiff’s physical appearance, emotional state, and performance.” 

Perkins also claims Verdi removed her from the team without due process after she complained about the team environment. The university then allegedly delayed her attempt to redshirt for that season and only took action after Perkins retained a lawyer. It is also alleged in the lawsuit that Verdi tried to create a racial divide amongst the team.

Players claim Verdi's behavior was reported to university staff, but no action was taken.

The six women are seeking monetary damages, as well as acknowledgment from the university that Title IX violations took place. 

Verdi was hired by Pitt in the spring of 2023, and he has a 29-60 record in three seasons. Previously, he coached at UMass and Eastern Michigan.

Seattle Seahawks running back and Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III had a breakout season in 2025 and saved his best performance for last, which happened to be his dad’s first NFL game. Walker set the tone on offense for Seattle’s Super Bowl victory over New England on Sunday, but said it took some convincing to get his father inside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. 

After splitting carries all season, Walker became the workhorse in the Seahawks backfield when Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in the divisional round win over the San Francisco 49ers. That injury immediately made Charbonnet the primary back for the two biggest games of Seattle’s season.

Walker came up big in the Seahawks’ three playoff games. In the game where Charbonnet went down with the knee injury, he rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-6 blowout over the Niners. Against the Rams in the NFC championship game, Walker rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown while also adding four catches for 49 yards. 

Kenneth Walker II did not attend either of those games due to not being a fan of crowds. Walker’s agent must be a great negotiator because they were able to get pops in the building, and the fourth-year running back had his biggest performance of the entire season in Super Bowl LX. Walker ended Super Bowl LX with 135 rushing yards and added four receptions for 26 yards, leading to Super Bowl MVP honors. 

In 2025, Walker became the Seahawks’ full-time starting running back and played in all 17 games for the first time in his career. He rushed for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns, along with 31 receptions for 282 yards. In three postseason games, Walker rushed for 313 yards, with a 4.8-yard average per carry and four touchdowns.