Texas Tech fired the Lady Raiders women’s basketball coach after 10 players reported a “toxic culture” of abuse, including sexual abuse, harassment, retaliation, emotional manipulation, and more.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting abuse induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been physically abused on the Texas Tech Lady Raiders women’s basketball team, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Sexual ABuse Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Texas Tech Fires Women’s Basketball Coach Amid Abuse Allegations
On August 5, 2020, USA TODAY Sports published details of abuse allegations involving 10 players on the Texas Tech Lady Raiders women’s basketball team.
One day later, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said the school would immediately terminate head coach Marlene Stollings and her assistant coach Nikita Lowry Dawkins.
Coach Accused of Sexual Abuse & Harassment
The abuse allegations also involve Ralph Petrella, a strength and conditioning coach who resigned in March 2020, before an investigation could take place.
Petrella resigned around the same time a player reported him to a Title IX administrator at Texas Tech for sexual abuse. He is accused of putting his hands under the player’s sports bra and her spandex shorts to apply pressure as “therapy technique.”
Five women have come forward to accuse Petrella of sexual harassment and threats of violence.
Players Report “Toxic Culture” Of Abuse and Fear
Stollings and her staff are accused of fostering a “toxic culture” of abuse that led to an exodus of players off the team. She became the head coach at Texas Tech in 2018. Over the next two years, 12 out of 21 players left the program.
“It was just the feeling of fear, anxiety, depression. And it wasn’t just a few people — it was our entire team.”
Examples of Abuse Reported by Lady Raiders Players
The reports describe numerous examples of abuse:
- Verbally abusing post players with names like “fat pig,” “grossly out of shape” or “disproportional.”
- Forcing players to wear a heart-rate monitor and maintain 90% of capacity during the game, or risk punishments like a loss of playing time or more conditioning sessions.
- One player accused Stollings of taking her dog away because it distracted her from basketball.
- Three players said Stollings retaliated against abuse allegations by holding tougher practices.
- One woman said coaches “used fear to motivate you,” and there was “not one person on this roster that feels comfortable going up to our coaches office.”
Do I have a Texas Tech Women’s Basketball Abuse Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting sexual abuse induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been physically abused on the Texas Tech Lady Raiders women’s basketball team, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Sexual ABuse Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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