Former University of Oklahoma volleyball player, Kylee McLaughlin, is suing the university, claiming it violated her First Amendment rights after she was labeled a racist due to her conservative beliefs.
According to the lawsuit, which lists head volleyball coach Lindsey Gray-Walton and Assistant Coach Kyle Walton as defendants, the team began to place more of an emphasis on discussions about white privilege and social justice than on coaching volleyball following the death of George Floyd, KFOR reported. Tensions first arose between McLaughlin and Kyle when a documentary on racism and slavery, "13," was shown to teammates and she was asked her opinion.
The lawsuit claims that McLaughlin said "that she agreed 100% that slavery was wrong and the slaves were mistreated; and, that statistics showed that," Fox 25 reported. She also said, "it was slanted 'left' and that it took some shots at what President Trump said and compared it with beatings of Blacks from the 1960s."
McLaughlin also noted the disproportionate incarceration rate for Blacks and said they were jailed "mostly for marijuana and drugs," according to her lawsuit.
At least one Black teammate said she thought McLaughlin's comments were racist, the document states.
Shortly after, McLaughlin requested the removal of a social media post showing a clown emoji in relation to the University of Texas weighing the decision to remove its anthem due to racial undertones.
A zoom meeting between McLaughlin, Lindsey, and other OU staff was later called during which the ex-athlete was told "she did not fit the culture of the program and they could not trust her based on comments she had made in the past," the lawsuit states.
She was given the option to either keep her scholarship, red shirt and practice only with the coach while receiving diversity training, keep her scholarship and just be a student, or she could transfer.
McLaughlin initially chose to red shirt but later transferred to the University of Mississippi.
"When she’s creating a situation that is a hostile environment for some of her other teammates then the coaches must act to the benefit of her team," said Jacqui Ford, an Oklahoma City trial lawyer.
"From what I can tell she hasn’t suffered any damages. She was given options to remove herself from the situation, so, she’s not damaged. I think that’s gonna be a huge obstacle for her and for her lawyers to overcome," Ford continued.
McLaughlin stated that, because of their actions, her coaches and the Board of Regents tainted her reputation in Universities like OU "where critical race theory, diversity, inclusion, and WOKE culture are institutionally wide spread."
McLaughlin is suing on five counts and also seeking damages of financial loss, humiliation, and mental anguish, and suffering for a minimum of $75,000.
"What I see is that her feelings are hurt and she’s filing a lawsuit because her feelings are hurt," Ford said in response to the lawsuit.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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