Not long before Texas Southern University moves to cut ties with longtime athletics figure Dr. Kevin Granger, his retired No. 10 jersey quietly vanished from the H&PE Arena rafters. The banner came down in early March, and employees have been told that Granger’s employment will end on March 16. He has been on administrative leave since June 2025 while the school responds to external reviews and a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault and harassment. The empty slice of ceiling space has turned into a very visible flashpoint over how TSU weighs a celebrated on-court legacy against serious off-court accusations.
Banner removal documented by local reporters
The missing jersey was first spotted on March 5, when HBCU Legends reporter Kyle Mosley photographed the gap in the H&PE Arena rafters where Granger’s No. 10 once hung. Sports Illustrated’s HBCU vertical later ran Mosley’s account and images from inside the arena, highlighting the now-blank space. Sports Illustrated published the first detailed writeup, and HBCU Sports followed with Mosley’s photo and game-night context.
Lawsuit triggered leave and outside reviews
The banner did not come down in a vacuum. In June 2025, a Texas Southern staff member filed a civil lawsuit handled by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, alleging sexual assault and harassment by Granger. The filing prompted the university to place Granger on administrative leave and initiate outside reviews of the allegations. Houston Chronicle reporting noted that TSU opened independent inquiries after it was notified of the litigation.
Granger’s lawyer, Letitia Quiñones-Hollins, pushed back hard when the suit landed, issuing a statement that “no sexual assault occurred and any indication that it did, is false,” according to local coverage of the court filings. Click2Houston carried the attorney’s denial and cited school officials on the then-ongoing review.
University sets termination date, removes banner
While the legal process rolls on, Texas Southern has started to close the book on Granger’s administrative role. The administration has informed employees that Granger was formally told of his termination on Feb. 13, with an official end date of March 16, according to reporting by the Miami Herald. The Herald reports that President James W. Crawford authorized the removal of the banner and that, so far, the university has not offered a broad public explanation for the decision to strip No. 10 from the rafters.
Legal status remains civil and active
The case against Granger remains a civil lawsuit and, by the account of the plaintiff’s attorney and media coverage, is still active. Buzbee has said the legal action continues as both sides prepare their next moves in court. The Houston Chronicle has tracked filings and public statements and notes that the university itself is not named as a party in the suit while it conducts its own internal reviews.
Granger’s on-court legacy collides with off-court questions
For longtime TSU fans, the controversy cuts through decades of basketball history. Granger was a star for the Tigers in the early 1990s and led Division I in scoring at 27.0 points per game during the 1995-96 season. His No. 10 jersey was retired in 2002, and he was later inducted into the school’s hall of fame, according to coverage of the university’s personnel move. The Miami Herald and other outlets have noted how the banner once functioned as a rallying point for alumni and fans before its sudden disappearance.
What comes next for TSU athletics
Against that backdrop, Texas Southern tapped Dr. Paula L. Jackson as interim athletics director in August 2025. The university’s official announcement described her charge as stabilizing the department’s operations while a permanent leader is identified. Texas Southern News published the school’s release and Jackson’s biography when she stepped into the role.
For now, the bare rafters in H&PE Arena have made a behind-closed-doors personnel saga impossible to ignore. TSU supporters, campus groups, and the wider HBCU sports community are watching for clearer public answers from university officials as the civil case continues to move through the courts.
