Florida reaches settlement with former football staffer alleging racial discrimination

Florida has reached a settlement — although the terms are not yet public — with a former assistant director of player personnel who alleged he was mistreated because he is Black, per The Tampa Bay Times.

Former staffer Otis Yelverton sued the athletic department over a year ago alleging unfair pay compared to white people that had previously served in his position. He also accused the athletic department of skipping over him for promotions on account of his race. Part of the claim was dismissed as the judge said Yelverton did not file his complain in a timely manner.

More specifically, Yelverton claimed athletic director Scott Stricklin and former head coach Dan Mullen, among others, “intentionally ” subjected him “to unequal, discriminatory, and racist treatment by creating a hostile, abusive, and racist work environment.” 

The complaint said Stricklin would address Yelverton as “Otis, my man,” which is a reference to the movie “Animal House.” Yelverton considered it racially insensitive. The documents also said Mullen abbreviated a staffer’s well-known nickname of the “Gorilla of Recruiting” to “Gorilla.”

Florida responded to the alleged incidents, saying that even if they were harassment, they did not constitute the creation of a hostile work environment.

Finally, Yelverton alleged his May 2019 firing was racially motivated. He was let go after a felony aggravated stalking complaint was filed claiming he threatened to blow up his ex-girlfriend’s car and tried to contact her 40 times after she tried to end communication with him. The case was dropped because of a lack of evidence against him. 

Yelverton addressed the incident saying he regretted “using hurtful language” and would be “more mindful of the things (he says) and the context in which (he says) them,” but he added he was “vindicated.”

A trial was previously scheduled for July, and final documents are expected to be submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in the next few weeks. Yelverton is now the head football coach at Contra Costa College, which is a public community college in central California.