Morehouse president F. DuBois Bowman released a statement earlier this week regarding the incident after the Maroon Tigers’ SIAC men’s basketball game against Tuskegee that saw Golden Tigers coach Benjy Taylor led out of the gym in handcuffs.
The statement, obtained by HBCU Legends, explains Morehouse’s delayed action.
“To fully understand what took place, Morehouse did not rush to issue public commentary but rather collected information for broader context, including video footage and interviews with witnesses,” Bowman writes. “Many public accounts have not fully and accurately captured the context of what occurred and, in some cases, have mischaracterized our students and the institution.”
Taylor was concerned about Morehouse football players interrupting the post-game handshake line and after voicing that concern, he was handcuffed and escorted out of the gym, igniting a firestorm of controversy that has not cooled down.
Bowman continued; “As an attendee at the game, I did not observe conduct that was clearly outside of what is commonly seen at competitive collegiate athletic events, specifically at the conclusion of a winning home game, when fellow Morehouse students were congratulating the Morehouse basketball players.”
Bowman criticized the SIAC’s investigation, stating that “While Morehouse leadership and I take the SIAC’s findings seriously, we have questions about an investigation that did not include a request for the College’s input but ultimately determined responsibility and a fine. This falls short of the due diligence expected of a fair and comprehensive process, and we are engaging directly with the SIAC to reconsider, given the precedent such decisions set for all SIAC institutions.”
