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Ex-assistant coach sues USF
By GRAHAM BRINK, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- A former assistant coach for the University of South Florida women's basketball team has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against her former employer. Tara Gibson becomes the 10th African-American woman involved with the program who has filed such a suit. The other nine were filed by current and former players. Gibson's suit, filed late Wednesday, stated that she lost her job as third assistant coach after she complained about an "ongoing and pervasive racially hostile environment." The suit stated that her civil rights were violated. "No one in that university system made any effort to help our program," she said in an October deposition. She said there were "continuous complaints about the racism going on, continuous complaints about racial disharmony . . . and no one stepped in to better the program, to better the situation, to better the environment." USF officials, including president Judy Genshaft, have denied that any of the women on the team were discriminated against. The university's attorney, Thomas Gonzalez, was disappointed that the suit was filed. "This case has always been long on press conferences and short on merit," Gonzalez said. USF hired Gibson in August 1999, and she lost her job in May 2000. During her tenure, she said she thought head coach Jerry Winters racially segregated the program. By Winters' design, black players roomed and ate almost exclusively with black players and black players hosted potential black recruits, never potential white recruits, Gibson said in her deposition. Black players suffered harsher punishment than white players for similar incidents, Gibson said. Winters also used race and racial stereotypes in describing opposing players, she said. In the past, university officials have said that former assistant athletic director Hiram Green investigated complaints of racial discrimination. That investigation shows the university didn't turn a blind eye, they said. Green conducted an internal investigation and found in April 1999 that a "recurring theme of racism" existed in the women's basketball program. Winters received professional development training sessions and was sent to a four-hour diversity seminar. In December 2000, the university fired Winters.
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