Through Jeroslyn JoVonn
February 3, 2026
“I am at a loss for words and I am angry about the way I was violated and treated today,” Benjy Taylor said.
Morehouse College is facing fines from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) after a school security guard handcuffed Tuskegee basketball coach Benjy Taylor following a men’s basketball game.
Taylor said he just asked for security to delete Morehouse football players from the handshake line after Morehouse’s 77-69 win against Tuskegee on Saturday, Jan. 31, HBCU Gameday reports.
After a brief conversation, video shows Taylor being handcuffed and led off the court at Forbes Arena in Atlanta.
“I am at a loss for words and I am angry about the way I was violated and treated today,” said Taylor, who hired a civil rights attorney after the incident. said inside a statement. “For my players, my family and the people of Tuskegee to witness that is heartbreaking to me. I was just trying to get the football team out of the handshake line while they were following right behind me and the team was yelling obscenities! It was a very dangerous situation.”
Taylor was reportedly released after the game and traveled with the team. Tuskegee athletic director Reginald Ruffin said football players joining the line is against conference policy.
“We have safety measures in place to protect our officials, our athlete coaches and spectators,” explained Ruffin, who disagreed with the officer’s account that Taylor was acting aggressively.
A spokesperson for Morehouse said the school is aware of the incident and has launched an internal investigation.
The SIAC said, following its own investigation, that the Morehouse will fine an “undisclosed amount” and impose “corrective measures to ensure full compliance with the conference’s security policies going forward.”
According to SIAC, Morehouse failed to “meet the required safety standards for a host institution, particularly when it comes to crowd control and ensuring the safe entry and exit of visiting teams and game participants.”
“The SIAC holds its member institutions to the highest standards of sportsmanship, professionalism and institutional responsibility,” SIAC Commissioner Anthony Holloman added. “Our historic institutions are expected to provide a competitive environment that prioritizes the safety, dignity and mutual respect of student-athletes, coaches, officials and fans. The conference remains committed to upholding these expectations and ensuring that all SIAC competitions are conducted in a manner consistent with our shared values.”
Tuskegee University released a letter signed by Ruffin and university President Mark A. Brown expressing support for Taylor and concerns about Morehouse’s safety measures.
“At no time did Coach Taylor engage in conduct that could be characterized as inappropriate, unprofessional or inconsistent with the standards of Tuskegee University, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), Morehouse College or intercollegiate athletics in general,” the statement said. “Conversely, the circumstances that culminated in Coach Taylor’s handcuffing – albeit briefly – fall far outside the bounds of what is normal, acceptable or appropriate in collegiate athletics environments. No coach should ever be placed in such a position to carry out his duty to protect student-athletes.
“Tuskegee University is deeply concerned about the failure of established safety procedures that contributed to this incident.”
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