Pitt, ex-women's basketball coach Tory Verdi want lawsuits alleging abuse tossed

In February, six former women’s basketball players from the University of Pittsburgh filed civil lawsuits against the school and former head coach Tory Verdi, alleging Title IX violations and that the coach inflicted “emotional, psychological, and physical abuse” against the players while creating a “hostile, discriminatory, and retaliatory environment.”

Now, Pitt and Verdi have asked the lawsuits dismissed. Attorneys representing Pitt and Verdi filed motions to have each of the six lawsuits tossed out on June 30 in the U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania.

In their supporting briefs, copies of which were obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the attorneys — Jeremy D. Engle and Matthew B. Simon representing Pitt, and Matthew D. Racunas on behalf of Verdi — argue the complaints are “short of the substance required to maintain” their claims.

“As the United States Supreme Court has observed, a federal statute prohibiting sex discrimination is not a ‘general civility code,'” the attorneys write. “… The Complaint alleges a smattering of isolated statements by Coach Verdi. Most of these statements have nothing to do with sex at all… Many are nothing more than coaching critiques directly related to an athlete’s fitness to compete in Division I sports.”

The attorneys added the “allegations are merely complaints that Coach Verdi was a difficult coach who critiqued the players using crude language — conduct that Title IX does not regulate.”

In short, the attorneys argue in their six briefs — each about 20 pages in length — the players suing Pitt and Verdi do not have viable claims that will stand up in court.

The lawsuits filed on Feb. 6 were from Favor Ayodele, Raeven Boswell, Makayla Elmore, Brooklynn Miles, Isabella Perkins and Jasmine Timmerson. They were all represented by the same attorney, Keenan Holmes. Their suits also claim Pitt knew about the players’ issues with Verdi, but took no action.

Verdi was fired less than a month later by Pitt, following the conclusion of his third season as the Panthers head women’s basketball coach. Pitt went 1-17 in conference play this past season, their worst record since joining the ACC in 2013. After a search that lasted about three weeks, Pitt hired former College of Charleston coach Robin Harmony to replace him.

Often the first specific incident cited in the lawsuits allegedly occurred after a practice during the 2023-24 season when Verdi told the team, “Every night I lay in bed I want to kill myself because of you.” The former players say this “caused fear, emotional distress, and confusion among players.”

Attorneys for Pitt and Verdi argue the players’ claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress fails because they did not establish “Verdi engaged in conduct that is extreme and outrageous” and did not prove that it caused “severe emotional distress.” The attorneys also say Pennsylvania law requires “some type of resulting physical harm due to the defendant’s outrageous conduct.”

Four of the six lawsuits cited another incident where, before playing a game against Clemson, Verdi allegedly “directed xenophobic and culturally insensitive remarks” toward a foreign-born player, telling her to “go back home because ICE is coming.” One lawsuit claims Verdi told foreign-born players, “We speak English here,” when they would use their native languages or accents.

Referencing any xenophobic comments Verdi made, attorneys for he and Pitt wrote: “However offensive (the players) may claim these alleged comments to be, Coach Verdi did not violate Title IX by commenting on his player’s attitude, weight, or physical fitness.”

In her lawsuit, Perkins alleges Verdi once told her during the summer of 2024 in a private meeting, “I don’t like you as a player, but I’d let my son date you.”

The attorneys for Pitt and Verdi conceded that comment “could conceivably relate to sex discrimination” but “assuming these allegations are true, they do not set forth severe and pervasive sex discrimination that deprived Perkins of educational opportunities or benefits.”

Perkins also claimed she was “routinely denied adequate medical care” and forced to play while injured, but attorneys argue that fails to be a Title IX claim “because Perkins alleges no facts suggesting that the university handled her waiver differently because of her sex.”

The attorneys also argue the six players lack “standing to seek injunctive relief because” they are no long part of the women’s basketball team at Pitt.

Senior United States district judge Joy Conti Flowers is presiding over the lawsuits.

In February, a spokesperson for Pitt told USA TODAY Sports: “The University is aware of these lawsuits and their allegations, which are without merit and will be vigorously defended.”

Verdi was fired after three years into a six-year contract he signed in 2023. He went 29-65 overall while leading the Panthers. Verdi was previously the head coach at UMass and Eastern Michigan, where he won a combined 200 games.

Since Agnus Berenato guided Pitt to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2008 and 2009, they’ve had two winning seasons and have been to the NCAA Tournament once — in 2015 under the direction of Suzie McConnell Serio. That is the only year in which Pitt has finished a season with a winning record in ACC play.