Lafayette College, in a filing last Friday, motioned to dismiss the lawsuit against it by former head men’s basketball coach Mike Jordan.
Jordan sued the college in November, alleging wrongful termination, racial discrimination and breach of contract stemming from his firing last spring. The college, at the time, mentioned publicly only that Jordan was let go for his workplace conduct, but in last week’s filing, the college divulged, for the first time, details of the investigation into Jordan that preceded the coach’s termination.
Specifically, the filing cites the letter sent to the administration by a student-athlete that sparked the investigation into Jordan’s conduct. The filing read that Jordan “verbally abused players including the use of terms that were sexist, racist and ableist; questioned the integrity of, and mocked, injured players who were following instructions of the medical staff.”
The college goes on to claim that Jordan “retaliated against the student-athlete for voicing his concerns to the Director of Athletics,” adding that the player had previously voiced concerns to the athletic director, Sherryta Freeman, to no avail. Jordan denied any wrongdoing.
Riley Ross III, Jordan’s primary attorney and a partner at Philadelphia-based Mincey Fitzpatrick Ross, LLC, did not respond to a request for comment left with an administrative assistant. Jordan previously deferred all comments to his attorneys.
The college’s legal office declined to comment, while its attorney and lead investigator, Christopher Moran, did not respond to a request for comment.
Multiple basketball players from the 2022-23 season were reached out to for comment — none responded.
