Six former Pittsburgh women’s basketball players have sued head coach Tory Verdi and the university, alleging abuse and claiming that their efforts to seek help were ignored.
According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on Friday, the players allege that Verdi created a damaging team environment by attempting to force players into the transfer portal and threatened their academic and athletic futures by putting their scholarships in jeopardy.
Verdi once purportedly divided the players by race during practice and had them face off.
According to the lawsuits, Verdi told his players, “Every night I lay in bed I want to kill myself because of you.” The lawsuit also alleges that he told one athlete, “I don’t like you as a player, but I’d let my son date you.”
“These players aren’t soft. We aren’t talking about sensitive personality types,” attorney Keenan D. Holmes told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “Obviously, there are expectations placed on players. But this went beyond basketball. It went beyond the bounds of common decency.”
The university, however, denied the allegations, saying in a statement that the players’ accusations are “without merit.”
“The university is aware of these lawsuits and their allegations, which are without merit and will be vigorously defended,” the statement said.
The plaintiffs in the suit are Favor Ayodele, who is now a graduate student playing basketball at Grand Canyon; Isabella Perkins, now at Boston College; Raeven Boswell, who quit the team but is still enrolled at Pitt; Jasmine Timmerson, who now is playing at Davidson; and MaKayla Elmore and Brooklynn Miles, both of whom had transferred to Pitt for their senior seasons.
Verdi has struggled during his time at Pittsburgh after being named head coach in 2023, holding a 29-60 record heading into Tuesday.
The Panthers have an 8-17 record this season with just one win in ACC play.
Holmes said that some of the student athletes are seeking a redshirt year of NCAA eligibility due to mental health problems, along with mentioning that multiple are in counseling or therapy.
The players are also seeking an acknowledgment that Pittsburgh violated their civil rights under Title IX.