The St. Augustine’s football saga is not over yet.
Former head coach Howard Feggins, fired just six games into his first season on the job, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the university on Dec. 19, alleging he was silenced when discussing concerns involving the program, as reported by TV station WRAL. Feggins claims he was unlawfully terminated in October, with St. Augustine’s citing Feggins’ playing ineligible athletes as the reason.
Feggins went on to hold a press conference later that week, blasting St. Augustine’s for deplorable conditions that made it difficult to field a competitive team. He also claimed he was told to keep his mouth shut about the conditions of the program or consequences would be swift.
Feggins’ complaint against the university includes the following:
- The university didn’t reimburse football recruits for campus visits.
- The university refused to pay laundry bills for football players’ uniforms.
- The university risked the health of its student-athletes by refusing to provide the football team with full-time athletic trainer and/or necessary medical treatments.
- The university refused to provide adequate meals for its student-athletes.
- The university failed to obtain a Certificate of Insurance for its football players until September 15, 2023, a day before the program’s third game of the season.
St. Aug’s associate vice president of global marketing and communications Demarcus Angelo D. Williams II, said the university would not issue comment on the lawsuit.