PHILADELPHIA — Six former players on the women's basketball team at the University of Pittsburgh have sued coach Tory Verdi and the school over what they call abusive coaching methods and say their efforts to seek help were ignored.
''These players aren't soft. We aren't talking about sensitive personality types,'' lawyer Keenan D. Holmes told The Associated Press on Tuesday. ''Obviously, there are expectations placed on players. But this went beyond basketball. It went beyond the bounds of common decency.''
Verdi, according to the lawsuit filed Friday, also tried to force players into the transfer portal, putting their scholarships at risk and threatening their academic and athletic futures.
The university denied the allegations in a brief statement issued Tuesday on behalf of both the coach and the school.
''The university is aware of these lawsuits and their allegations, which are without merit and will be vigorously defended,'' the statement said.
Verdi has struggled over three seasons at Pitt after notching a winning record in seven seasons at the University of Massachusetts. According to the lawsuits, he once told his Pitt players: ''Every night I lay in bed I want to kill myself because of you.''
He told one athlete, according to the legal complaint, ''I don't like you as a player, but I'd let my son date you.''
And he once divided the players by race and had them face off at practice, it said. Some of the women are now in counseling or therapy, and others have sought a red-shirt year of NCAA eligibility based on mental health problems, Holmes said.
