Tuskegee men's basketball coach Benjy Taylor was handcuffed after intervening in an incident involving his team and members of Morehouse's basketball and football teams on Saturday.
A statement from civil rights attorney Harry Daniels' office stated Taylor was concerned that Morehouse football players “were acting aggressively” toward Tuskegee players and their parents during handshakes following the college basketball game.
The statement added that the football players' presence is prohibited by conference-mandated security protocols. It said after Taylor asked a second officer to enforce those protocols to diffuse the situation, the officer handcuffed him and escorted him from the court.
Though Taylor was not charged, he has hired Daniels and attorneys Gregory Reynald Williams and Gerald Griggs to represent him. The attorneys say they are considering a civil lawsuit.
Daniels said Taylor was right to try to protect his team, and the officer was out of line.
“It would be bad for a police officer to treat anyone like this,” Daniels said. “But to do it to a man like Coach Taylor, a highly respected professional and role model, to put him in handcuffs, humiliate him and treat him like a criminal in front of his team, his family and a gym full of fans is absolutely disgusting and they need to be held accountable.”
A statement from Tuskegee president Mark Brown and athletic director Reginald Ruffin said the school leaders were proud of Taylor's commitment to the athletes and the school's values.
“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. "His conduct remained measured, professional, and entirely consistent with the expectations of a head coach entrusted with the safety of his team.”
Morehouse did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference fined Morehouse an undisclosed amount, saying it failed to meet mandated conference safety standards.
