Six former University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball players filed individual lawsuits against the school and women’s basketball coach Tory Verdi on Friday. The lawsuits allege abusive coaching methods by Verdi, Title IX violations and a failure by the school to act after abuses were reported to multiple university officials.
The lawsuits, obtained by The Athletic, were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania by former women’s basketball players Favor Ayodele, Raeven Boswell, MaKayla Elmore, Brooklynn Miles, Bella Perkins and Jasmine Timmerson. All six women are represented by attorney Keenan Holmes and played varying stints under Verdi.
Among the allegations in the suits are that Verdi — who was hired by Pitt in April 2023 — subjected players to a “hostile” environment, that he engaged in verbal abuse and body-shaming, showed “hostility toward mental health concerns” and that he retaliated against players who spoke up about his behaviors.
A university spokesperson for Pitt told The Athletic, “The University is aware of these lawsuits and their allegations, which are without merit and will be vigorously defended.”
Verdi’s attorney, Matthew Racunas, echoed the university in a statement, calling the claims against the coach “entirely without merit” and saying he and his client were “confident that the truth will prevail.”
Within the lawsuits, the plaintiffs allege that multiple university officials were made aware of these instances but never formally investigated Verdi. Among those listed are Senior Women’s Administrator Jennifer Tuscano, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Compliance, Investigations, and Ethics Laurel Gift, former athletic director Heather Lyke and a team doctor. Each lawsuit claims that former assistant coach John Marcum, now at Boston College, reported Verdi to Pitt human resources and senior administrators.
Four of the six lawsuits describe a pregame meal in which Verdi allegedly told an international player to “go back home because ICE is coming.” Five of the suits allege that Verdi attempted to create or exploit racial divisions on the team. Perkins’ lawsuit alleges she was “routinely denied adequate medical care,” and that after confiding in a team doctor, she received harsher treatment leading up to her removal from the team.
Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law exempts state-related universities, including the University of Pittsburgh, from some of the public records requirements of most public institutions.