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USC Sued by Former Basketball Player Alleging Racial Abuse
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- USC Sued by Former Basketball Player Alleging Racial Abuse
The USC Trojans are facing a lawsuit from a former player who alleges he was subjected to racial abuse and cut from the team so they wouldn't have to pay out his NIL contract.
Chad Baker-Mazara, who was removed from the team only weeks before the NCAA Tournament was set to start, alleges he was chewed out in front of his teammates by head coach Eric Musselman.
Jan 2, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman talks to forward Chad Baker-Mazara (4) in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
The next day, he claims, he was dropped from the team without explanation, reports Edward Lewis of the California Post .
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An allegedly contentious locker room confrontation
Saying Musselman "lost his mind" when Baker-Mazara tried to speak up during a team meeting, the former Trojan claims the coach told him "you shut the f— up! You are one of the worst teammates anyone can ever have!"
Baker-Mazara said he responded, "Wow, coach, do you need me to leave because I don't understand this animosity."
"Yes, leave!" Musselman allegedly replied. "Go back to the f—ing Dominican Republic! Nobody wants you here!! F— you!"
Baker-Mazara said he was dismissed from the team the next day, and he wasn't paid out the remainder of his name, image and likeness payments in his contract.
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As expected, USC has denied Baker-Mazara's claims.
"The decision to remove the student-athlete from the men's basketball roster was based on a number of considerations, none having to do with race," USC said Tuesday in a statement . "We look forward to defeating this action in court."
The mystery of Baker-Mazara's exit deepens
Baker-Mazara's sudden expulsion came as he was the team's top scorer, raising a lot of questions as to why the team would part ways with him mid season.
Teammates like Terrance Williams II confirmed that the altercation took place, but Williams also claimed Baker-Mazara called out some of their teammates in the locker room.
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"Some people were one foot in, one foot out," Williams told USA Today this summer. "CB realized that, a lot of people on the team realized that. CB wasn't the only one to speak up."
That said, Baker-Mazara seems to have been the only player to be kicked off the team as a result.
Now, it seems like the courts will determine whether USC was right to remove Baker-Mazara or not.
The post USC Sued by Former Basketball Player Alleging Racial Abuse appeared first on LA Sports Report .
