UAFS: Coach did nothing wrong

Former player claims he was dismissed from team over hairstyle

An internal review found no “substantial” evidence of racial discrimination by a University of Arkansas-Fort Smith coach, the school’s top administrator said in an email sent Wednesday to all students, staff and faculty.

A former player, who’s black, said he was dismissed from the men’s basketball team after Coach Jim Boone expressed disapproval of his dreadlocks, a complaint gaining wide attention on social media.

“Today, the University of Arkansas Fort Smith EEO Officer sent formal letters to the former student and to the head coach which state that she did not find substantial evidence to support the claim of race discrimination; however, the process revealed a need for better communications when addressing a sensitive matter, particularly when raised by a student,” Chancellor Terisa Riley said in the email.

Riley said the university “will not condone or allow” any policies or procedures to “dictate the hair styles or hair lengths for its student athletes,” and the campus of about 6,500 students will hire a director of diversity and inclusion.

Tyler Williams, 22, now a student at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., spoke publicly last week about comments made by Boone. Williams said Boone never ordered him to change his hair — which photos show is cut short on the sides and pulled back, with a low-profile top — but said Boone’s remarks caused him to feel “devalued and disrespected.”

Neither Williams nor Boone, who’s white, responded Wednesday to requests for comment.

Last week, an attorney for Boone said Williams “all along” wanted to transfer and “unless he could show his transfer was the result of being mistreated by the coaching staff or being ‘run off,’ the NCAA rules prohibit

him playing basketball at another school” in the year after leaving UAFS.

Williams, an honor roll student, previously transferred to UAFS from another school for the 2018-19 season, when he was the UAFS Lions’ second-leading scorer.

Rachel Putman, a UAFS spokeswoman, declined to provide details about the investigation.

But Putman did respond when asked whether Williams voluntarily left the team or was dismissed.

“This was not the purpose or scope of the investigation,” Putman said.

No interim action was taken against Boone after the university began reviewing the complaint about three weeks ago, Putman said.

Boone’s attorney, Tom Mars, last week denied discrimination by the coach. Mars, known for his work on cases involving collegiate athletics, called Boone’s attitude “admittedly old-school” but said Boone — a head coach for 33 seasons — would have the same “attitude” about hair if the player was Larry Bird, an NBA legend who’s white.

Williams last week said Boone, hired in April by UAFS, “did say it had nothing to do with race, but deep down, if you really look at it, it has everything to do with race.”

Williams didn’t respond Wednesday to a request for comment and his parents didn’t respond to a messages seeking comment.

In a four-page letter addressed to the university, the family cited “Boone’s dismissal of Tyler from the program” and also stated “Boone’s action of policing black hair is a form of pervasive racism and bias.”

The letter was posted on social media Sept. 1 on the account of a person describing herself as a UAFS student.

In the letter, the family referred to an audio recording of a meeting with Boone. Putman confirmed the recording was a part of the university’s investigation.

Boone earns $90,000 yearly to coach UAFS, along with “fringe benefits for housing and utilities,” according to his appointment letter, released by the school under the state’s public disclosure law.

Riley, in the email, said she met over the past week with students on the men’s basketball team and leaders of the campus’ Black Student Association.

“I respect all of these students for their leadership and desire to improve the university,” Riley said.

A campus forum co-sponsored by the Black Student Association, the university’s Athletics Department and others will be held Tuesday , Riley said, with the goal to discuss racial issues and “action steps” for the university. Black students made up about 4% of students last year, or 249 out of 6,531 undergraduates, according to UAFS data.

Karissa Cole, 20, president of the UAFS Black Student Association, said the conversation with Riley “felt very real and raw,” and praised Riley, who took over as chancellor in July after arriving from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Riley “truly wanted to do anything she could to help heal the hurt we are feeling on campus,” said Cole, a senior from Lavaca.

“We understand the reasoning for the outcome of this investigation and we hope that our discussion forum will bring an opportunity for the campus and community to find the closure they need,” Cole said.

Williams last week said Boone ... “did say it had nothing to do with race, but deep down, if you really look at it, it has everything to do with race.”