Tuskegee Coach Benjy Taylor Escorted Off Court in Handcuffs After Postgame Incident

Tuskegee Coach Benjy Taylor Escorted Off Court in Handcuffs After Postgame Incident

Credit: HBCU Gameday

Tuskegee University men’s basketball coach Benjy Taylor was escorted off the court in handcuffs following a postgame incident Saturday at Morehouse College’s Forbes Arena.

Video shared by HBCU Gameday shows Taylor speaking with a security officer as Tuskegee and Morehouse players exchanged handshakes after the game. Moments later, the officer placed Taylor in handcuffs and led him off the court and into a nearby hallway.

According to statements from Taylor and Tuskegee athletic director Reginald Ruffin, the incident stemmed from Taylor asking security to remove several Morehouse football players from the handshake line. Taylor said the players were “yelling obscenities,” while Ruffin described the situation as a “security breach.”

“I am at a loss for words, and I am upset about how I was violated and treated today,” Taylor said in a statement released Saturday. “For my players, my family and people of Tuskegee to witness that is heartbreaking for me.

“I was simply trying to get the football team out of the handshake line as they were following right behind me and the team yelling obscenities. It was a very dangerous situation.”

Ruffin told HBCU Gameday that the security officer involved provided a different account, claiming Taylor was “very aggressive.” Ruffin said he disagreed with that assessment, citing conference-mandated security protocols and stating that Taylor’s actions were reasonable.

“He asked the security officer, ‘Can you please remove them from the line?’ That’s what he asked,” Ruffin said.

Civil rights attorney Harry Daniels announced Sunday that Taylor has retained him to explore a potential lawsuit. In a statement, Daniels said the Morehouse football players were “acting aggressively” toward Tuskegee players and their families and that their presence on the court violated conference security policies.

“When Coach Taylor asked officers to enforce those protocols and defuse an increasingly dangerous situation, one of the officers instead chose to place him in handcuffs and escort him from the court,” Daniels said.

As of Monday, it was unclear which law enforcement agency the security officer represents. Taylor has not been charged with a crime, according to Daniels’ office. Tuskegee University confirmed that Taylor traveled back with the team following the game.

Taylor, who is in his sixth season as head coach, declined further comment Sunday, telling USA Today, “I am devastated and will have no more comments at this time.”

Tuskegee fell to 15–5 on the season following its 77–69 loss to Morehouse.

“It would be bad for a police officer to treat anyone this way,” Daniels said. “But to do it to a highly respected coach and role model—handcuffing and humiliating him in front of his players, family and fans—is absolutely unacceptable.”