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Allegations Against UAB Softball Coach Taylor Smartt Include Abuse, Racist Remarks and NCAA Violations

Sources within the program allege misconduct including racist remarks, abuse, and potential NCAA and Title IX violations as UAB opens conference tournament play.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
UAB Softball head coach Taylor Smartt did not coach in the final five games of the 2026 regular season.
UAB Softball head coach Taylor Smartt did not coach in the final five games of the 2026 regular season. | UAB Athletics

When the American Athletic Conference Softball Tournament begins on Wednesday with a contest between the University of Alabama Birmingham Blazers and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, one team will be without its head coach.

The 2026 UAB Blazers started the year with a dream of reaching Oklahoma City, and as they endured unimaginable trauma during preseason conditioning and throughout the regular season, that dream quickly turned into their worst nightmare.

The nightmare began almost as soon as Taylor Smartt arrived in Birmingham in August 2024.

What followed, according to sources within the program, raised serious concerns, including claims of racist remarks, physical and mental abuse, an inappropriate relationship between Smartt, Director of Operations, Julie Money, and a student-athlete, as well as NCAA violations and Title IX violations.

Smartt has been away from the program since the evening of Friday, April 25, and did not coach the final five games of the regular season. Money traveled with the team for its three-game series at Florida Atlantic, but did not stay at the team hotel or participate in non-softball activities. She also did not travel for the conference tournament.

The terror began in 2025 when former UAB mom, Lindsey Dupree, was forced to watch her daughter, Auburn’s, mental health deteriorate because of racist comments and body shaming.  

“Unfortunately, her senior year became a profoundly distressing experience that has had a lasting impact on her mentally.” Dupree wrote in an email to UAB administrators that she shared with Softball On SI.

“Throughout that season, my daughter was repeatedly subjected to what I can only describe as mental and verbal abuse… There were deeply concerning remarks made by Coach Smartt regarding my daughter’s appearance, including racially insensitive comments about her braided hairstyle, which was referred to as ‘jailhouse braids.’ Such comments are unacceptable in any professional or educational setting.”

Another parent, who asked for anonymity out of fear for their child, told Softball On SI that Smartt told their daughter to stop spending time with her “charred” friends.

Auburn Dupree, who finished her playing career after the 2025 season, reiterated what her mother told Softball On SI and said that coming forward was “a way to end the UAB softball chapter of her life.”

The former UAB Blazer struggled to find the words to describe her senior year and admitted that her mental health crumbled after the head coach told her that her teammates voted her as “the moodiest player on the team.”

One of Dupree’s former teammates came to her defense and spoke at length about how the team was made to believe that she was a horrible person because of Smartt. 

“She is manipulative and makes you second-guess your worth as a player, a friend, and just as a human,” she told Softball On SI via text. 

This player also mentioned that it was her parents who decided it was time for a meeting with the administration because she didn’t want to wake up and endure the wrath of Smartt all over again.

Turns out, they weren’t alone. 

Others eagerly joined them and met with Athletic Director Mark Ingram, Deputy Athletic Director Dan Carlson, and Compliance Director Katreshia Louis Verrett on Thursday, April 23, and Friday, April 24.

Another incident that triggered the meeting was when a player walked in on Smartt, Money, and a teammate on the couch in her apartment, in a compromising position. A complaint, which was obtained by Softball On SI, was filed at the meeting.

“The coach maintains an inappropriately close relationship with a specific player, including sleeping over at the player's residence,” the complaint reads.

In total, Softball On SI spoke with 10 people with ties to the softball program: four current student-athletes, four parents, a former student-athlete, and a booster. 

The majority asked for anonymity out of fear of retaliation against them or their daughters.

The physical abuse showed up while UAB was competing at East Carolina on March 27, 2026.

During the team’s first game of the series, Smartt allegedly punched one of her players twice. All four student-athletes confirmed the incident, and details describing what happened were revealed in an email obtained by Softball On SI.

“I am writing to report an incident I witnessed during the ECU vs. UAB softball game yesterday, Friday March 27,” says the March 28, 2026 email sent to Athletic Director Jon Gilbert, Senior Women’s Administrator Caroline Bevillard, and Senior Associate Athletics Director for Compliance Alex Keddie.

“While observing from the first base dugout area, I saw the UAB head coach punch a player in the dugout. Following the incident, I noticed the player began to tear up, appearing to be in physical pain or distress.

“This occurred during the end of the game. 

“I wanted to bring this matter to your attention for further review.”

Gilbert replied to the email with, “Thank you for sharing,” and “Will forward to the appropriate people.”

The student-athletes also mentioned threats of physical punishment. All four current players spoke about times when Smartt would threaten to loosen their buttholes with her fingers.

“She told me countless times she would take me to the bathroom and loosen my asshole for me,” one of the players said. 

Taylor Smartt signals for her team to loosen their buttholes from the dugout.
Taylor Smartt signals for her team to loosen their buttholes from the dugout. | Submitted

The alleged physical abuse also showed up in the offseason when Smartt introduced a couple of dangerous preseason conditioning workouts.

The head coach commanded the team to push assistant coach Anna Shelnutt’s Toyota 4Runner. Shelnutt sat in the driver’s seat of her car and watched as the Blazers were instructed to get her SUV moving and then sprint ahead of the vehicle to stop it, all 5,000 pounds, with just their body weight. 

Divided into teams, the student-athletes followed directions, no matter how dangerous they were.

“​She forced Coach Shelnutt to put her 4Runner in neutral, and we would have to push it down to the football parking lot and run in front of it while moving, stop it, and then start pushing it back again,” a current member of the Blazer softball team told Softball On SI in a phone interview. “And one of my teammates almost got, like, actually ran over doing it. She tripped and fell, and the car almost went over her.”

Another preseason workout involved treading water until they felt like they “were going to die.” The student-athletes described feeling like they were going to drown and how terrified they were watching their teammates struggle because they didn’t know how to swim.

Smartt was also a fan of physical punishment, according to the student-athletes. If they were late to anything, mandatory or optional, they had to somersault for every minute they were late.

One player recalled watching multiple teammates roll for an hour because they were late to an optional team activity in October.

“The constant somersault forward rolls were a nightmare,” she recalled. “It became a dark running joke among the team, but in reality, those 'rolls’ as punishments and conditioning exercises were truly dehumanizing. Constantly dreaded anything that could involve rolling. “

Meals were a manipulation tool in Smartt’s belt, as she would allegedly withhold food after losses, and on some occasions, didn’t provide enough food for the entire team to eat.

While traveling during the 2026 season, players said they were given $10 for meals at airports, which was a significant difference from the $25 they received in 2025. The lack of funds led players to pool money to share meals.

“On away trips, the team has been provided with Lunchables as a primary meal,” the complaint states. “Which does not meet the nutritional standards required for Division I athletes.”  

When it came time for the Blazers to ask for help, they turned to one of the program’s boosters, Robert Ray, who has been described as a safe place by parents and players. He told Softball On SI that he warned Ingram on April 21 that he had “a powder keg with over 20 dynamite sticks about to explode.”

Ray, a retired Army officer with 24 years on active duty in the Military Police Corps, said he heard of issues about four weeks before UAB took action.

“I was shocked to hear the parents talking about getting the season over with and getting their daughters out of a miserable environment,” Ray told Softball On SI in a phone interview. “They talked about a lack of food for meals, emotional and mental abuse, and an inappropriate relationship between the head coach, director of ops, and a student-athlete.”

Ray wouldn’t go into detail about the inappropriate relationship, but stands by the group of women and parents coming forward.

“I absolutely believe what the parents and student-athletes have said to be true,” Ray added. “I don’t see any reason why they would make any of this up. I have seen these girls in pain.” 

Other allegations against Smartt include exceeding NCAA Countable Athletically Related Activities hours and falsely reporting mandatory practice as community service or volunteer work, entering the locker room while players were changing, and creating a hostile environment that was unfit for student-athletes.

“I respectfully request that this situation be formally reviewed,” the complaint ends with. “My goal is to ensure a safe, respectful, and fair environment for all student-athletes. I am willing to provide supporting documentation, including messages, witness statements, and additional details as needed.”

Smartt is in just her second season as the head coach at UAB. It’s also her first head coaching job at the Division I level. 

A UAB spokesperson initially told Softball On SI on Tuesday, April 30, that Smartt was “taking a step back from the program.” 

Since bringing these allegations to light, the spokesperson provided another statement on UAB’s behalf.

“We are committed to providing a safe, respectful, and positive experience for our student athletes,” an email dated May 1 stated. “When concerns are brought to our attention, we take appropriate steps to investigate them. Employment matters are handled between the institution and employees.”

Softball On SI reached out to Smartt and Money for comment. Neither responded to the request.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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