Ex-USC star Chad Baker-Mazara files lawsuit after split, claims coach Eric Musselman went on 'racially-charged tirade'
· Yahoo Sports
Chad Baker-Mazara’s departure from USC last spring came after head coach Eric Musselman went off on a “profanity-laced, racially-charged” tirade against him in the locker room, the former player is alleging in a new lawsuit.
Visit casino-promo.biz for more information.
Baker-Mazara filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on Monday, according to the California Post, claiming that Musselman erupted on him after the team’s loss to Nebraska on Feb. 28. Baker-Mazara and the Trojans split just days later. He is suing the university for breach of contract, conversion and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, among other things.
Baker-Mazara left USC during the final stretch of the regular season last spring. Specifics of his departure weren’t known, other than it was reportedly due to “an accumulation of issues,” but the timing was very suspect. The announcement came on March 1, just days before the Trojans kicked off the Big Ten tournament.
Baker-Mazara transferred into USC from Auburn, and averaged career-highs 18.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
The incident in question, according to the lawsuit, happened after their loss to Nebraska on Feb. 28. Baker-Mazara said that Musselman started yelling at the team in the locker room. Baker-Mazara tried to address his teammates, and Musselman shut him down.
“You shut the f**k up! You are one of the worst teammates anyone can ever have!” Musselman screamed at him, according to the lawsuit.
Baker-Mazara then asked Musselman if he should leave.
“Yes, leave!” Musselman allegedly responded. “Go back to the f***ing Dominican Republic! Nobody wants you here! F**k you!”
Baker-Mazara said in the lawsuit that he took those comments, as someone who was born in the Dominican Republic, similarly “to telling an African-American to ‘go back to Africa.’”
“Coach Musselman’s outburst was a direct attack on Baker-Mazara’s national origin and Dominican heritage, made from a position of authority and power by the head coach of the team, in front of all of Baker-Mazara’s teammates,” the lawsuit said. “The tirade was unprovoked, vicious, and discriminatory.”
Baker-Mazara also alleged that after his split with USC, the school terminated his NIL agreements and claimed that he had violated a “morals clause.”
“The morals clause is hopelessly vague, overbroad, and unenforceable,” the lawsuit said. “But in any event, reliance on the morals clause was entirely pretextual — a post hoc justification manufactured to allow USC to conserve its NIL funding pool and avoid paying the remaining substantial fixed sum owed to [Baker-Mazara] after the season had collapsed and Baker-Mazara’s services could no longer take the Trojan basketball team where it wanted to go.”
USC did not comment on the lawsuit to The Post.
Baker-Mazara was not selected in the NBA Draft earlier this year. He is expected to play professionally in Puerto Rico this season.
Musselman was hired to take over at USC ahead of the 2024-25 campaign after a five-year run at Arkansas. The Trojans went 18-14 last season and have yet to make the NCAA tournament under his watch.