The viral arrest of Tuskegee University’s basketball coach after a Jan. 31 game at Morehouse College has now resulted in a lawsuit against the all-male HBCU. 

Morehouse had just beaten Tuskegee 77-69 and were preparing for the end-of-game handshake line. Reports indicate that Morehouse College football players attempted to disrupt that process, and Tuskegee coach Benjy Taylor can be seen in the video asking security to intervene. 

After exchanging words, the Morehouse campus police officer handcuffed Taylor and led him across the court. He was later released without charges. 

The suit names the college and campus police officers R. Clark and M. Roberson as defendants. Civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and John Burris and Gerald Griggs and Gregory Reynald Williams are representing Taylor in the lawsuit.

Taylor said he was trying to ensure everyone was safe during the postgame handshake line.

“I was simply trying to get the football team out of the handshake line as they were following right behind me and the team, yelling obscenities. It was a very dangerous situation,” he said.

In a statement to @TheFieldOf68 after the incident, Taylor said he was “at a loss for words, and I am upset about how I was violated and treated today. For my players, my family and people of Tuskegee to witness that is heartbreaking for me.”

Tuskegee University President Mark A. Brown released a letter on Feb. 1 to students and alumni in full support of Taylor. 

“During the events in question, Coach Taylor acted solely out of his fundamental responsibility to protect his student-athletes and staff — particularly in an environment where agreed-upon and customary game‑management and security protocols were not properly carried out,” the statement said in part. “His conduct remained measured, professional, and entirely consistent with the expectations of a head coach entrusted with the safety of his team.

“At no time did Coach Taylor engage in behavior that could be characterized as unbecoming, unprofessional, or inconsistent with the standards of Tuskegee University, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), Morehouse College, or intercollegiate athletics broadly,” the statement continued. 

After the incident, the conference fined Morehouse an undisclosed amount.

Morehouse College President F. DuBois Bowman issued a statement questioning the SIAC’s findings, writing in part: 

“While Morehouse leadership and I take the SIAC’s findings seriously, we have questions about an investigation that did not include a request for the College’s input but ultimately determined responsibility and a fine. This falls short of the due diligence expected of a fair and comprehensive process, and we are engaging directly with the SIAC to reconsider, given the precedent such decisions set for all SIAC institutions.”

Taylor and his lawyers will hold a press conference Friday in Atlanta.

This is a developing story.

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