Troubling details emerge behind Columbia women basketball coach’s suspension: ‘Unhinged person’

Detailed summary

As Megan Griffith returned from a three-game suspension, 15 former Columbia players jointly blasted the university’s “token disciplinary measure.”

As Columbia women’s basketball head coach Megan Griffith returned from a three-game suspension Thursday, 15 former players jointly blasted the university’s “token disciplinary measure” and said the actions of Griffith — whose alleged conduct in practices was the subject of an external review — require “meaningful accountability,” according to The Athletic.

A former player under Griffith filed a complaint in September that included statements from five other athletes dating back to Griffith’s first year with the program in 2016 — including one who allegedly also filed a complaint over Griffith’s conduct in 2019, according to the outlet.

“Our firsthand experiences cite serious concerns about a culture of emotional and psychological abuse, the mistreatment of injured players, and the utter disregard for athletes’ mental health,” the group of 15 former players said in a statement to The Athletic.

The complaint and supplementary statements alleged that Griffith “created a culture of verbal abuse, bullying and manipulation,” establishing an environment that left players feeling like they were walking “on eggshells” and fearing that “a small action would launch a tirade,” the outlet added, citing the complaint.

She also allegedly used degrading phrases such as “zeroes in life” when addressing athletes and allegedly threatened to kick players off the team if they communicated in Spanish, and Griffith was referred to as an “emotionally manipulative” person in the complaint, according to The Athletic.

Griffith would allegedly boot players from the Columbia locker room and from practice, while also allegedly forcing players to sit in a chair facing a corner of the gym during practice if they messed up, according to The Athletic.

“It truly feels as if you are at the mercy of an unhinged person,” one Columbia player wrote in the complaint, according to the outlet.

“I fully respect the process of the University review and take complete responsibility for everything that happens in the…

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