Morehouse President defends students overpostgame incident where Tuskegee’s coach was handcuffed

School leadership says the detainment of Tuskegee’s coach “did not reflect the desires” of Morehouse, while defending its athletes and calling for clarity around conference protocols.

Morehouse College leadership has spoken out after a controversial postgame situation that left Tuskegee University’s head basketball coach handcuffed following a rivalry game between the two HBCUs. The college’s president F. DuBouis Bowman addressed students, alumni, and staff this week, offering an apology to Tuskegee coach Benjy Taylor while also defending the conduct of Morehouse’s football players at the event.

In the internal statement, Bowman acknowledged that Taylor’s detainment “did not reflect the desires” of the institution and expressed regret over how the situation escalated. Still, the president stopped short of condemning all of the actions surrounding the incident, noting that he had not seen conduct from his basketball team that fell “outside the norms of a competitive HBCU atmosphere.”  Bowman said the students from the football team were merely congratulating the Morehouse basketball players on their victory over the rival team.

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The flashpoint stemmed from a heated moment after Saturday’s (Jan. 31) basketball game when members of Morehouse’s football team headed onto the court as the teams lined up for sportsmanship handshakes. Taylor, acting to enforce conference protocols, was briefly restrained by security. The incident was captured on video and widely circulated online.

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On Monday, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Commissioner Anthony Holloman, Ed.D., shared that the conference had determined that Morehouse College did not satisfy the required security standards for a host institution, specifically as it relates to crowd control and ensuring the safe entry and exit of visiting teams. The SIAC also imposed a fine on Morehouse College over the incident.

In his message, Bowman noted that while Morehouse leadership takes the SIAC findings seriously, the college’s leadership felt the governing body’s decision fell short of the due diligence expected of a fair process, with questions remaining about how the investigation reached a determination without including input from Morehouse.

Morehouse’s statement came days after Taylor expressed feelings of humiliation and concern for his players, saying the detention was unwarranted and disruptive in front of his team and supporters. 

Tuskegee University’s Athletic Director Reginald Ruffin fully backed Taylor, stating the coach was acting to safeguard his student-athletes when security protocols broke down.

Taylor has reportedly hired civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and Gerald Griggs and is considering a lawsuit.