Amherst Sued for Discrimination

 

written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III   Donate to D3Playbook Won't you please consider making a gift to D3Playbook. Your gift will help us offset the costs of operating the newsletter and enable us to continue to provide the quality you have come to expect. My heartfelt thanks to those who have already contributed. Join them today.   >> It's Friday! The opening weekend of the new season is upon us. Best of luck to all fall teams around DIII. And since it's a holiday, we'll be off on Monday. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend. >> Today's Word Count: 1.224 >> Thanks for reading D3Playbook. Would you be so kind as to send this to a friend and ask them to sign up for their own subscription? >> Does your department have a position opening?  Advertise with D3Playbook for as little as $15. We are also looking for a sponsor for "Comings and Goings." Contact us today.   I'd like D3Playbook in my inbox, please TOP STORY 1. Amherst Sued for Discrimination by Rebecca Picciotto, The Amherst Student "Former men’s lacrosse head coach Rashad Devoe has served the college with a federal legal complaint listing 11 charges, including racial discrimination, infliction of emotional distress and deceiving him into accepting the coaching role. In the 48-page legal complaint, Devoe, who is Black, alleges that the college “lured him” to the coaching position by falsely promising to support him in addressing the lacrosse team’s culture of “elitism, discrimination, and racism.” The complaint charges the college with using Devoe as a public token of Amherst’s progress and as a publicity device, but then consistently undermining his authority to actually enact change — often to the benefit of wealthy donors." >> Situational Awareness: "The college hired Devoe in May 2020, following a racist incident where members of the men’s lacrosse team chanted the n-word outside of a Black lacrosse player’s suite in early March. Those events revived a wave of anti-racist student activism at the college with movements like #IntegrateAmherst and later Reclaim Amherst launched by the Black Student Union. In response, the college put the lacrosse team on probation until June 30 of this year and Devoe was hired to replace Head Coach Jon Thompson." >> Why It Matters: "But the college’s persistent undermining of Devoe’s authority prevented him from realizing that mission, the document said. When Devoe disciplined a group of lacrosse players who broke Covid rules and their team-wide probation by holding a practice, the college launched an investigation into Devoe’s conduct with the players — parents had allegedly threatened to withdraw financial support. A later investigation came after reports surfaced of Devoe making sexually disrespectful comments about women to the players. Devoe was cleared in the latter investigation, though he was required to take a sexual respect course." >> Of Note: "The lawsuit argues that the college “treated Coach Devoe differently from other coaches, not in his protected class,” and that he was fired “because of his race and in retaliation for engaging in protected activity.” >> What They're Saying: "The college released a response to “categorically refute the allegations,” claiming that “a full legal review of the complaint will support our position that it is without merit.”  >> Continue Reading  SOCCER 2. Russo Set to Retire "TCNJ head women's soccer coach Joe Russo has announced his retirement that will follow the 2021 season. Russo's 32nd year in charge of the Lions will serve as the final one of his illustrious career. Assistant Coach Bob Turner, Russo's right-hand man, will be retiring following the 2021 season as well. Turner has been alongside Russo since the inception of Trenton State women's soccer, and their guidance has led TCNJ to one of the top NCAA Division III women's soccer programs in the nation." The duo has led the Lions to three NCAA Division III Championships, 535 wins, 29-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, 19 NJAC Championships and 12 NCAA Final Four runs. Russo owns a career record of 535-66-44 entering his final season. That record ranks him fourth all-time in NCAA women's soccer coaching history in wins and winning percentage (.864) across all divisions. >> Quotable: "I can't thank the players and my longtime assistant Bob Turner enough. When I first started, it was a unique situation, as there are very few opportunities in college coaching where you get a chance to cultivate and start the program from scratch, which was the situation here. We started with nothing, then were able to build and construct our program to where we are today, which has been special." >> Read More A MESSAGE FROM BRIGHT CELLARS   Bright Cellars is a monthly wine club that matches you with wines you'll love. Founded by two MIT grads (#whyD3) who were intimidated by the vast and complex world of wine, Bright Cellars was created to help wine drinkers discover and learn about wine in a fun, interactive way. Bright Cellars creates a wine experience tailored just for you. Based on an algorithm, wine selections are calculated to match your taste preferences. As you try the wines, you're encouraged to rate them on the website to fine-tune your taste profile even further. Your matches improve as the algorithm gets to know you better, making each shipment better than the last. D3Playbook readers are invited to get 50% off your first 6-bottle box from Bright Cellars. That's a $45 value. Each box will include a wine education card for each bottle that details servings temps, food pairings, background on the region and more. Take our 30-second quiz to start your holiday weekend right. NCAA 3.  Postgrad Intern Deadline   The NCAA urges you to inform talented young professionals, recent graduates and current student-athletes within your personal and professional networks who are interested in pursuing a career in college sports about the NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program. The application for the PGIP for the class of 2022-23 will remain open for interested candidates until the Sept. 3 deadline. For more information including job descriptions for each position offered, internship alumni testimonials and a video highlighting the impact of the internship, please go to ncaa.org/pgip.   FOOTBALL / VOLLEYBALL 4.  Conference Favorites   Preseason polls were all the rage this August. Here is a compilation of favorites to win it all in football and volleyball this season. Football / Volleyball A-R-C: Central / Coe ASC: Mary Hardin-Baylor / Mary Hardin-Baylor Centennial: Muhlenberg / Johns Hopkins CCIW: Wheaton / Carthage CCC: Western New England / Endicott HCAC: Hanover / Transylvania MASCAC: Framingham / Framingham MIAA: Albion / Calvin MAC (FB): Delaware Valley Midwest: Monmouth / Cornell NEWMAC: Springfield / Babson NJAC: Salisbury / Stockton NCAC: Wabash / Wittenberg NACC: Aurora / Aurora Northwest: Linfield / Whitworth Ohio: Mount Union / Otterbein ODAC: Randolph-Macon / Washington and Lee PAC: Westminster / Westminster SAA: Trinity / Berry UMAC: Martin Luther / Northwestern USA South: Huntingdon / Averett (E), Maryville (W) WIAC: Whitewater / Whitewater Football ECFC: Dean Volleyball AMCC: Penn State Behrend Atlantic East: Marymount C2C: Christopher Newport CSAC: Notre Dame GNAC: Johnson and Wales Little East: Eastern Connecticut MAC Commonwealth: Stevenson MAC Freedom: Stevens NAC: Maine Maritime (E), SUNY Delhi (W) SCAC: Trinity SLIAC: Webster SUNYAC: Brockport A MESSAGE FROM MORNING BREW   There's a reason over 2.6 million people start their day with Morning Brew — the daily email that delivers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Business news doesn't have to be dry and dense...make your mornings more enjoyable, for free. Check it out today.  TRANSACTIONS 5.  Comings and Goings   BALDWIN WALLACE - Hannah Knopp and Justin McMonagle named assistant athletic trainers BETHANY - Tamara Nichols Rodenberg announced her retirement as president effective end of the semester BETHANY LUTHERAN - Emma Purfeerst named associate head women's basketball coach BOWDOIN - Brendan McClintock named assistant squash coach CENTENARY (La.) - L'Muriell Thrower named assistant volleyball coach GUILFORD - Nick Black stepped down as head baseball coach IMMACULATA - Josh Copskey named head baseball coach KING'S - Dave Levandoski and Sarah Ross named assistant cross country/track and field coaches LANCASTER BIBLE - Frank DiFilippo resigned as head baseball coach MESSIAH - Phill Shallenberger named head baseball coach MIT - Kimmy Tait named assistant women's tennis coach MUSKINGUM - Jeff Garvin named interim athletic director NYU - Carmen Proffitt named assistant women's soccer coach RAMAPO - Jan Koslowsky named interim director of athletics ROCKFORD - Taylor Jones named assistant men's basketball coach SHENANDOAH - Connor Bishop and Ryan Beck named assistant men's lacrosse coaches SKIDMORE - Ali Harris named associate head field hockey coach TCNJ - Rocky Hager announced his retirement as assistant football coach at the end of the season TRANSYLVANIA - Ashley Jonathan named assistant women's tennis coach WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE - Jessie DeZiel named head women's gymnastics coach BIRTHDAYS Cake and candles to Susquehanna University volleyball assistant coach Greg Kimmel and Jason Baxter at FinalForms. want to give a birthday shout-out? email us.   1 THING 6. We're Baaaack ABBA in 1979. Photo: Ron Frehm/AP  Swedish supergroup ABBA is releasing its first new music in four decades, along with a concert performance that will see the "Dancing Queen" quartet go entirely digital, AP reports. The forthcoming album — "Voyage," dropping Nov. 5 — is a follow-up to 1981's "The Visitors." A virtual version of the band will begin a series of concerts in London on May 27. "We took a break in the spring of 1982 and now we've decided it's time to end it," ABBA said in a statement. Keep reading. - courtesy of Axios    Thanks for starting your day with us. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. What did you think of today's newsletter? Please invite your friends to sign up for D3Playbook

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