An African American high school football player in Pennsylvania has cited his varsity football coach as one of the primary defendants in a civil rights case with disturbing undertones.
As reported by Harrisburg Fox affiliate WPMT, the Solanco School District and football coach Anthony Cox are both cited in a civil rights lawsuit filed by an African American student athlete who claimed Cox used derogatory names for him throughout the football season and later downplayed even more explicit offensive images.
It’s alleged that Cox called the student derogatory names throughout the season and downplayed the student’s concerns about a photoshopped image on Instagram that depicted the student carrying a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken while in a football uniform. A second post on Instagram showed a black man caught in a mouse trap with a bucket of chicken used as bait, according to the lawsuit.
The unidentified student athlete’s lawsuit also cites extensive use of the confederate flag.
The student alleges that together, the actions of the coach and some students amount to racist intimidation, which in turn created an atmosphere of, “suffering humiliation and embarrassment, and emotional distress.”
While the suit is structured to provide financial restitution for the teenage victim, it’s clear in its use of at least one other character statement that it intends to paint a broader picture of casual acceptance of racist language and imagery in the district.
The lawsuit was filed June 17, but no further dates have been scheduled as of yet for when it may be heard.
