Former University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball players have sued coach Tory Verdi and the school, alleging abusive coaching practices and that their requests for help were ignored, according to a lawsuit reported by The Associated Press. In comments to the AP, their lawyer, Keenan D. Holmes, said the players’ complaints were not about being “soft” or discussing “sensitive personality types,” but about conduct that exceeded what the players say athletes are expected to endure. “Obviously, there are expectations placed on players. But this went beyond basketball. It went beyond the bounds of common decency,” Holmes said Tuesday.
The lawsuit, filed Friday, alleges that Verdi and the school violated civil rights under Title IX, which bars gender-based discrimination in education, the AP reported. It seeks an acknowledgment that the university violated the players’ rights as well as restoration of school records and reputations, according to the AP account. The women also are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
Holmes said some players reached out repeatedly to supervisors in Pitt’s athletic department for assistance without results, the AP reported. The complaint describes Verdi’s alleged conduct as abusive and toxic, and it includes allegations that Verdi attempted to pressure players into entering the transfer portal in ways that put scholarships at risk and threatened what the lawsuit describes as their academic and athletic futures.
The AP also reported that the lawsuit includes specific examples of remarks the players say Verdi made. One allegation described Verdi telling players, “Every night I lay in bed I want to kill myself because of you.” Another allegation said Verdi told one athlete, “I don’t like you as a player, but I’d let my son date you.” The complaint also alleges that Verdi divided players by race and had them face off at practice.
According to Holmes, some of the former players have since sought counseling or therapy, while others pursued a red-shirt year of NCAA eligibility tied to mental health problems, the AP reported. The AP named the former players as Favor Ayodele of Spain, Raeven Boswell (who left the team but stayed at Pitt to finish her degree), Isabella Perkins (now a student at Boston College), Jasmine Timmerson (now playing for Davidson College), and seniors MaKayla Elmore and Brooklynn Miles, who had transferred to Pitt for their senior years.
Pitt denied the allegations in a Tuesday statement issued for both Verdi and the university, the AP reported. “The university is aware of these lawsuits and their allegations, which are without merit and will be vigorously defended,” the statement said. Verdi has coached Pitt over three seasons after earlier compiling a winning record in seven seasons at the University of Massachusetts, according to the AP account.
The case will test how colleges respond when student-athletes report alleged mistreatment and seek help through supervisors—particularly when the claims are framed as civil rights violations under Title IX.