Ole Miss defensive tackle DeSanto Rollins is filing a lawsuit against the university and head football coach Lane Kiffin, alleging that his rights were violated during a mental health crisis. In the lawsuit, which was filed on Thursday, Rollins claims that he was removed from the team due to a “mental impairment,” violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. He also alleges racial and sexual discrimination, stating that Kiffin took adverse actions against him, a Black man, but not against white and female student-athletes who requested a mental health break, as reported by ESPN. The lawsuit is seeking $10 million in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages. It includes a transcript of a recording where Kiffin allegedly referred to Rollins as a “p—y” for not showing up to football due to his mental health crisis.
Rollins claims that he experienced severe depression, anxiety, frustration, embarrassment, humiliation, a loss of sleep, and a loss of appetite after injuring his right Achilles tendon in July 2022, followed by the death of his grandmother in January. According to the lawsuit, on February 27th, Kiffin informed Rollins that he would be moved to the scout team’s offensive line because he had refused to transfer. Kiffin allegedly told Rollins to accept the change or quit. Following this, Rollins, who claims he was never informed of the need for a mental health evaluation or referral, announced that he would be taking a mental health break, as reported by Fox News. He began seeing the school’s assistant athletic director for sport psychology, who later informed him that Kiffin wanted to meet. Rollins was not yet prepared to meet and decided to record the meeting without Kiffin’s knowledge.
According to the recording, Kiffin allegedly said, “If I have mental issues—and I’m not diminishing them—I can’t not see my f—ing boss.” He further questioned whether Rollins would have mental issues if called in to play defense. Rollins responded affirmatively. Kiffin then informed Rollins that he was off the team, citing his failure to show up for weeks when the head coach asked to meet. He referred to Rollins as a “p—y” and accused him of hiding behind excuses and not fulfilling his work obligations. Ole Miss has stated that it has not received the lawsuit, as mentioned in CBS Sports. They assert that Rollins was never removed from the team, remains on scholarship, and continues to have access to all the resources available to student-athletes at the university. (Read more University of Mississippi stories.)
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