Jennifer Colli was a basketball player for the Southern Methodist University Mustangs in Dallas, Texas until she lost her scholarship for what she says was standing up for her and members of the team’s privacy.
Colli says that throughout her Freshman season in 2005-2006, coach Rhonda Rompola spoke to the team an inordinate amount about her disproval of sexual relationships between team members. Colli, who has admitted to having sexual relations with a teammate, says that this was the topic of conversation with Rompola more than basketball itself. Even during games, Colli says coaches "brought up certain relationships on the team. The coaches would talk about how people were not performing well because they had not ‘gotten any’ the night before." She says that abuse like this and strenuous practice routines coaches gave her and other players with inter-team sexual relationships caused her stress that took an emotional and physical toll.
Jennifer Colli brought a complaint against Coach Rompola to SMU’s athletic director. She was trying to stand up for team members who had expressed similar concerns, but the athletic department thought she was lying and revoked her scholarship. All of these factors have encouraged Colli to file a lawsuit worth over $2 million against SMU for falsely labeling her a liar and taking away her scholarship as a result.
Jennifer Colli has the support of four teammates who signed a statement that says SMU coaches frequently talked about players’ sexual relationships. They even say that coaches including Rompola had lesbian relationships with other coaches.
The questions facing the courts will be twofold. First, are players’ sexual relationships any business of the coaches? And second, do sexual relationships among team members undermine their ability to help the team win? A texas court will have to answer these questions.
Source: Dallas News
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