Tuskegee Coach Benjy Taylor Files $1M Lawsuit Against Morehouse College Following Viral Handcuffing
Atlanta, GA — What began as a heated cross-state rivalry on the hardwood has officially moved into a federal courtroom. Benjy Taylor, the veteran head coach of Tuskegee University’s men’s basketball team, filed a massive federal lawsuit on Friday against Morehouse College and two of its campus police officers. The suit, which seeks more than $1 million in damages, follows a viral January incident that saw the award-winning coach led off the court in handcuffs in front of a stunned Atlanta crowd.
The legal complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, paints a picture of a total security breakdown during the January 31 matchup. According to Taylor’s legal team—led by high-profile civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and John Burris—the confrontation began when Taylor noticed members of the Morehouse football team positioned along the baseline. The suit alleges these students were heckling Tuskegee players with “vicious profanities” and creating a hostile environment. When the game ended, Taylor reportedly approached Morehouse campus officers R. Clark and M. Roberson, asking them to enforce Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) security protocols and remove the unauthorized students from the handshake line to prevent a physical altercation.
Instead of clearing the floor, the lawsuit alleges Officer Clark “laughed and turned his back.” Moments later, as Taylor continued to insist on player safety, he was placed in handcuffs and escorted through the arena—a “perp walk” that was broadcast on the arena’s Jumbotron and quickly went viral on social media. At a press conference Friday at the Westin Atlanta Airport, an emotional Taylor spoke about the toll the incident has taken. Despite being named the 2025–2026 SIAC Coach of the Year, Taylor says the honor has been buried under the stigma of the arrest, noting that he now struggles with sleep and the reputational harm of being treated like a criminal on a national stage.
His attorneys are pursuing claims of civil rights violations, false imprisonment, and assault and battery related to the “unlawful touching” during the detainment. The SIAC has already weighed in on the night’s security, fining Morehouse College an undisclosed amount for failing to satisfy “required security standards” for crowd control and the safe exit of visiting teams. While Morehouse College President Dr. F. DuBois Bowman previously questioned the conference’s investigative process, the college has yet to issue a formal response to the newly filed federal complaint. The case now moves into the discovery phase as Taylor’s legal team calls for a “total restoration” of his reputation and a formal acknowledgment of wrongdoing from the historic Atlanta institution.
Watch the Full Press Conference
For a detailed look at the evidence and statements from Coach Taylor and his legal team, watch the full announcement below:
