Tuskegee men’s basketball coach Benjy Taylor is set to take his dispute with Morehouse College from the hardwood to the courtroom, announcing a lawsuit against the Atlanta school and two campus officers after he was handcuffed and escorted off the court following a Jan. 31 game. Tuskegee officials say Taylor will appear with his legal team at a news conference in Tuskegee at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 20, in what marks a sharp escalation of a postgame clash that has reverberated across HBCU athletics.
According to the Fort Worth Star‑Telegram, Tuskegee says the lawsuit will name Morehouse and two campus police officers, R. Clark and M. Roberson. Taylor’s legal lineup features civil-rights attorneys Harry Daniels, John Burris, Gerald Griggs and Gregory Reynald Williams. University officials told the paper the Friday news conference will spell out the specific claims and confirm exactly who is listed in the complaint.
The Handcuffing That Sparked The Suit
Video from the postgame handshake line at Morehouse’s Forbes Arena shows Taylor walking up to an officer stationed on the floor, raising concerns about what he later called a security breach, before he is placed in handcuffs and escorted away, according to the footage and subsequent reporting. The Washington Post reports that Taylor says he was trying to calm things down, not inflame them. He was eventually released and never charged.
Civil-Rights Team Prepares The Case
Taylor has brought in a high-profile civil-rights team that says it is gearing up to pursue accountability on multiple fronts. Attorney Harry Daniels called the handcuffing “absolutely disgusting” and said the group is looking at “all legal avenues,” CBS Atlanta reported. Hoodline previously detailed the attorney hires and walked through how the confrontation unfolded back in February.
Conference Response And Morehouse Reaction
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference reviewed the incident and concluded that Morehouse did not meet required host-institution safety standards. The league issued an undisclosed fine and ordered corrective steps. The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution and other outlets reported on the sanctions, noting that Morehouse President F. DuBois Bowman later sent a campus-wide letter apologizing to Coach Taylor even as the college challenged parts of the SIAC’s findings. SI.com published the full text of Bowman’s message.
Tuskegee’s Position
Tuskegee University publicly backed Taylor in the aftermath, issuing a formal statement that urged clearer and consistently enforced security protocols across the conference to protect players, coaches and their families. The university said Taylor’s behavior “remained measured, professional” throughout the episode and pledged to work with the SIAC and fellow member schools on solutions. Tuskegee University posted the full message of support.
Legal Implications
Taylor’s attorneys say they will detail their specific claims at the March 20 news conference, signaling that a civil lawsuit is on the table to address his handcuffing and overall treatment. As CBS Atlanta noted, the legal team has described the incident as both humiliating and unnecessary. The precise legal theories and full roster of defendants will become clear once they file the paperwork or lay out the details at the press event.
What to watch: The March 20 briefing in Tuskegee is expected to clarify exactly what Taylor is alleging and whom he is targeting, including whether the suit formally names the two campus officers identified by the university, Morehouse College itself, or both. According to the Fort Worth Star‑Telegram, Taylor will stand alongside his lawyers at 11 a.m. on Friday to make his case public.
