Pitt WBB HC Sued by Former Players

PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthers women's basketball head coach Tory Verdi is a part of a new lawsuit from former players at the school.

Those players are reportedly suing Verdi and the University of Pittsburgh, alleging that he created an environment of hostility, psychologically abused the players and punished them when they spoke up, according to a report from Paula Reed Ward of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The plaintiffs named in the lawsuit include six former players: Favor Ayodele, Raeven Boswell, Makayla Elmore, Brooklynn Miles, Isabella Perkins and Jasmine Timmerson.

Ayodele spent the 2023-24 season at Pitt before transferring to Tennessee and is now at Grand Canyon, while Timmerson was also there just that season and transferred to Davidson following the campaign.

Elmore and Timmerson transferred in from Clemson and Kentucky, respectively, for the 2024-25 season, Boswell transferred in from Georgia Tech for the previous two seasons and Perkins was also a part of the past two seasons.

The plaintiffs filed their individual lawsuits back on Feb. 6 in federal court in Pittsburgh, which also includes claims of Title IX violations, breach of contract for depriving students of their scholarships, negligent hiring and supervision and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to Ward.

Attorney Keenan Holmes will represent the six women in their lawsuits.

Complaints in the Lawsuit

The lawsuits stated that the players raised concerns with three different key Pitt athletic administrators, according to Mitchell Northam of USA TODAY Sports.

This includes Jennifer Tuscano, Senior Woman Administrator, former athletic director Heather Lyke and Laurel Gift, Pitt’s Assistant Vice Chancellor for Compliance, Investigations, and Ethics.

One example of a complaint includes a comment Verdi made after practice during the 2023-24 season, which read, "Every night I lie in bed I want to kill myself because of you.”

The lawsuit also states that Verdi attempted to create racial division amongst the team and that he put the White players against the Black players, “by asserting that players ‘hung out’ only with others of the same race.”

He also allegedly treated Black players worse, as "players of color were subjected to harsher discipline, less patience, and fewer opportunities than similarly situated white teammates.”

Verdi allegedly “directed xenophobic and culturally insensitive remarks” towards a foreign-born player before a game against Clemson, saying, “go back home because ICE is coming." He also allegedly told foreign-born players, “We speak English here,” when they spoke in their native tongue and accents, according to Northam.

He dismissed Perkins from the team in December 2024, which Perkins said Verdi did without due process following her complaint. She also claims the university delayed the process of her securing a medical redshirt until she got a lawyer involved.

Pitt Panthers Women's Basketball guard Bella Perkins Dismissed from Team — Pitt Women's Basketball guard Bella Perkins Dismissed from Team | Courtesy of Pitt Athletic

Perkins said in her complaint that Verdi promised an "inclusive, empowering team environment," when she transferred in from USC, but dealt with “public humiliation, verbal degradation, arbitrary reductions in playing time, exclusion from team activities, favoritism of other players, manipulation of player statistics and inappropriate commentary regarding plaintiff’s physical appearance, emotional state, and performance.”

She also claimed that Verdi forced her to play injured and that when she confided in the team doctor about the "hostile and abusive environment perpetuated by Coach Verdi.”, that was reported to Verdi, who then retaliated against Perkins.

Another allegation Perkins made towards Verdi was that during a private meeting in the summer 2024, he told her, “I don’t like you as a player, but I’d let my son date you.”

The lawsuit shows Elmore “made a good-faith report” to Pitt's compliance office after Verdi made repeated NCAA practice-hour violations, which Elmore said resulted in nothing changing and the compliance office disclosing her to Verdi.

Ayodele said that after her injury, Verdi didn't talk to her for six months, while ignoring her, "medical and emotional needs and isolating her from team support."

These players also claim that Verdi mocked how a player looked and her weight, saying, "you look pregnant," when she was injured.

Jared Stonesifer, a University of Pittsburgh spokesperson, pushed back on those claims and told Ward that, "The university is aware of these lawsuits and their allegations, which are without merit and will be vigorously defended."

The plantiffs are looking to a declaration that Pitt violated Title IX and are seeking monetary damages. Some of the players sought mental health treatment following playing for Verdi.

Tory Verdi Background

Pitt hired Verdi back on April 7, 2023 as the program's 10th head coach, spending his past seven seasons at UMass and accrued a record of 127-85, including an A-10 title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2021-22 season.

Pitt Panthers head coach Tory Verdi — Oct 9, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh head coach Tory Verdi during ACC Media Days at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

He had a relationship with prior Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke, as they both were at Eastern Michigan for three seasons from 2013-16.

Verdi had turned both Eastern Michigan and UMass into winning programs, but he hasn't done that at all in his three seasons at Pitt.

He has a 29-60 overall record (.326) and an 8-40 ACC record (.167) and is currently 8-17 overall and 1-11 in the ACC this season, currently on an eight-game losing streak.

Verdi has had individual success with players like Liatu King, who was First-Team All-ACC and won the ACC Most Improved Player Award in the 2023-24 season, plus Khadija Faye, who also earned First-Team All-ACC honors in the 2024-25 season.

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