An HBCU rivalry between Morehouse and Tuskegee has escalated into a lawsuit, with Benjy Taylor and his legal team alleging he was wrongfully handcuffed, arrested, and publicly humiliated. Lawyers claim he was attempting to enforce conference security protocols during a nationally broadcast SIAC championship game.In a brief released by Taylor’s attorneys, the Tuskegee men’s basketball coach announced he is suing Morehouse as well as campus police officers R. Clark and M. Roberson over the incident that occurred Jan. 31. Taylor is represented by civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and John Burris, along with attorneys Gerald Griggs and Gregory Reynald Williams.The handcuffing incident drew national attention after video showed Taylor being escorted off the court in cuffs following the postgame handshake line. The brief claims Taylor was “needlessly handcuffed and escorted off the court” after he asked an officer to enforce conference-mandated security rules in an effort to “diffuse an increasingly dangerous situation” following the game.The filing also lays out new allegations about what led to the confrontation.According to the lawsuit, tensions began during the game when Taylor expressed concerns that several members of the Morehouse football team were positioned near the baseline. He claims they were taunting Tuskegee players and shouting profanities at Tuskegee coaches and staff. The brief says Taylor asked that the football players be removed from the baseline area beneath the basket. Officer R. Clark was notified, according to the statement.Instead of addressing the issue, the statement alleges Clark “took his position next to the football players,” laughed, and turned his back while the insults continued.
