Suspended UB Athlete Sues University

The UB Specturm broke a story today about a UB football player, suspended by the school for violating his due process rights. This has NOTHING to do with the UB Athletics department. The School suspended the student for two years and Athletics was never a part of the process.

It’s a good read, but if you don’t have the time here are the bullet points

• A student was one of several riding around in a red pickup truck. He was an African American passenger and the Drive was white.
• Someone called the police to report a white person driving around campus pointing a gun out the window. The gun was an “air soft” gun
• Police arrested the white student who told them he never touched the gun, it was the black student
• The school twice questioned the student based on this account and then suspended him for two years.

I’m not privy to any facts other than what is in the story. And I’m not a lawyer but here is my two cents worth.

Most universities play fast and loose with due process rules. They write their own guidelines to the process because, at the end of the day, it’s not a courtroom and you don’t have the same rights.

So I’d be very surprised if this goes far. I know we have a lawyer who read the site, maybe he can

That being said I do think kicking a kid, athlete or not, out of school for two years based on the word of one person, who themselves had an interest in the narrative, is not the best way to go.

It’s a conversation that touches a lot of areas, not just this case.