Lawsuit Dismissed By Family Of Player With Braids

December 21, 2010 /

oanow.com

Blaise Taylor’s family dropped a racial discrimination lawsuit over the teen’s hairstyle late Monday after reaching an agreement with Auburn City Schools to standardize its grooming policy for athletes.

“We feel very good about it,” said the Taylors’ attorney, Julian McPhillips.

As part of the agreement, the school system will draft a uniform grooming policy that will apply to all sports beginning in the fall of 2011.

Auburn City Schools Superintendent Dr. Terry Jenkins said the new policy, which will be drafted by the athletics director with input from all the head coaches, would likely be taken up by the Auburn City Schools board of education in February.

But for the remainder of the 2010 season, the rules that forced the 14-year-old son of Auburn University assistant head football coach Trooper Taylor to choose between his braids and time on the court with the junior varsity basketball team will remain.

“The rules that were in place at the beginning of the season are still in place,” Jenkins said.

McPhillips said Blaise has no plans to cut off his braids.

The Taylors and the school system released a joint statement Monday afternoon announcing the dismissal of the lawsuit and a promise to develop the new grooming policy.

The Taylors’ lawsuit, filed Dec. 10, alleged Auburn High School basketball coach Frank Tolbert’s grooming policy was arbitrary and racially discriminatory since it singled out a hairstyle worn almost exclusively by black players while allowing white players to wear unkempt hair.

The board, as recently as Dec. 15, defended the long-time coach’s grooming policy for his basketball teams.