Tuskegee-Morehouse game should’ve ended in handshakes, not handcuffs

Rivalry games between historically Black colleges and universities are meant to be a celebration of institutional pride and the longevity of campuses that have survived against the odds. They are loud, joyful and rooted in culture.

What they should never be is a spectacle that ends with an opposing coach leaving an athletic facility in handcuffs, which is what happened Saturday after a men’s basketball game between Tuskegee University and Morehouse College in Atlanta.

When Tuskegee and Morehouse faced off at the NBA HBCU Classic a year ago, the game remained what it was supposed to be – a showcase of HBCU excellence. Nothing about their matchup this time around warranted Tuskegee men’s basketball coach Benjy Taylor being escorted off the court of Morehouse’s Forbes Arena in handcuffs.

Videos posted by HBCU Gameday show Taylor speaking with a security guard as players exchanged handshakes following Tuskegee’s 77-69 loss; then, the officer suddenly produces handcuffs, cuffs Taylor and leads him away. Taylor was later released and accompanied the team on its bus ride back to Tuskegee.

According to HBCU Gameday, Taylor asked security to enforce the rules and remove multiple Morehouse football players from the handshake line. In a statement to the Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Taylor said the football players were yelling obscenities, prompting him to make the request. Tuskegee athletic director Reginald Ruffin added that the security officer claimed Taylor was “very aggressive” and “the aggressor,” citing that as the reason Taylor was placed in cuffs.

However, Ruffin disputed that characterization of Taylor’s demeanor. In a statement obtained by People, Ruffin reaffirmed the university’s support for Taylor and its overwhelming belief that Taylor didn’t do anything to justify his detainment.

“During the events in question, Coach Taylor acted solely out of his fundamental responsibility to protect his student-athletes and staff, particularly in an environment where agreed-upon and customary game‑management and security protocols were not properly carried out,” the statement said. “His conduct remained measured, professional, and entirely consistent with the expectations of a head coach entrusted with the safety of his team.

“At no time did Coach Taylor engage in behavior that could be characterized as unbecoming, unprofessional, or inconsistent with the standards of Tuskegee University, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), Morehouse College, or intercollegiate athletics broadly.”

On Monday, following an investigation by SIAC commissioner Anthony Holloman, the conference fined Morehouse for failing to meet required game security standards.

In 45 seconds of footage, there is no visible evidence of aggressive behavior, physical escalation or anything that would reasonably define Taylor as an aggressor. What is visible is a coach pleading his case.

Could Taylor have been frustrated? Yes – a rivalry loss stings. But in reviewing the video of the incident, I simply saw a man who was nonviolent, composed and advocating for the safety of his team.

Hearing Taylor labeled with dog-whistle words such as aggressive for simply challenging or questioning law enforcement doesn’t surprise me, nor does it surprise any Black or brown person who has watched those same terms weaponized to justify mistreatment. Those words are attached to history, stereotypes and a broader political climate.

Questioning authority is often portrayed as disruptive – the bar for being labeled “aggressive” has never been lower. Taylor experienced seemingly unnecessary public embarrassment at the hands of that security officer.

He plans to pursue legal avenues – and he should, not just for himself but because silence allows these moments to become precedent. Civil rights attorney Harry Daniels announced Sunday that Taylor has hired him to pursue a possible lawsuit. Accountability for law enforcement and institutions exists only when actions are scrutinized rather than swept under the rug.

Just as important is the response, or lack thereof, from within the HBCU community itself. This was a conference game between SIAC counterparts, yet public solidarity was notably absent from Morehouse head men’s basketball coach Larry Dixon.

When I reached out to Morehouse’s athletic department to request an interview with Dixon following the incident, I was told he would not comment on the situation and would take only interviews about his program’s current nine-game win streak – a streak that has undoubtedly been overshadowed by the controversy around the program’s latest win.

HBCUs often talk about community, but moments like this test whether those values hold when discomfort enters the room.

Rivalries can coexist with accountability. Competitive success can coexist with empathy. And protecting student-athletes doesn’t equate to being an aggressor.

HBCU games should end with handshakes, not handcuffs.

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