Former SMU Basketball Player Jennifer Colli Sues University

A former Southern Methodist University women's basketball player is suing the school for $2 million. The woman claims the university violated policy and procedure when it withdrew her scholarship.

Jennifer Colli, who filed her lawsuit in federal court, says other former teammates signed statements verifying her complaints against her coach.

By all accounts, Colli was a top notch high school basketball player, something that helped her win a scholarship to SMU. In her lawsuit Colli claims Coach Rhonda Rompola regularly asked her and her teammates, about their relationships with each other.

In the lawsuit Colli says that on at least one occasion her coaches criticized players during a game, questioning whether the reason they're weren't performing well was because they didn't "get any" the night before.

Colli says one month after having her scholarship renewed, she complained to the athletic director about her coach's comments during the prior season. The lawsuit states that two days before the next school year began, the school withdrew her scholarship.

"It was hard to go to somebody and feel like you're a liar," Colli explained. "And I was just trying to protect my teammates."

According to Colli, the athletic director told her they couldn't substantiate her allegations and because of it, accused her of misconduct.

Colli says SMU rejected her appeal stating that she didn't go through the school's normal process regarding code of conduct violations - as required.

In her suit Colli claims that claims the school ruined any chances she would have playing professional basketball and winning endorsements. "She took away my dreams, and as a kid, that's hard," Colli said.

SMU released a statement about the incident that said in part, "Two university offices investigated the student's allegations.... The results of the investigations did not support the student's claims. SMU stands by its findings and will address these issues in court."

CBS 11 News left phone and text messages for coach Rompola, but so far the calls haven't been returned.

Source: CBS11tv.com

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