Shocking allegations have been made about University of Alabama at Birmingham softball coach Taylor Smartt in a damning report that revealed allegations of racial slurs and mental and physical abuse of players.
Smartt “took a step back” from the softball program last month, and a report from Sports Illustrated is now shedding light on the shocking allegations of the coach’s actions, citing multiple student players, parents and others connected to the athletic program.
In another incident, Lindsey Dupree, the mother of former UAB softball player Aubrey Dupree, told SI that Smartt “constantly subjected” her daughter to “mental and verbal abuse” with racist and body shaming comments.
In his message to SI, Aubrey described Smartt as “manipulative” and speculated that he was valuable “as a player, as a friend, and as a person.”
Another parent said that her daughter was told by the coach to stop hanging out with her friends who were “seized”.
The allegations of physical abuse stem from a complaint filed after someone saw Smart hit one of his teammates during the first game of the series against East Carolina on March 27.
This person reported the complaint to members of the ECU athletics staff, including athletics director Jon Gilbert, via email.
“While I was looking at the first base dugout, I saw the head coach of UAB hit a player in the dugout. After this incident, I saw that the player started to tear up, appearing to be in pain or stressed… I wanted to bring this matter to you for review,” the email said.
Another surprise alleged preseason conditioning workout was when the players pushed assistant coach Anna Shelnutt’s car and ran in front of it to stop it using only their body weight.
A current member of the softball team told SI that Smartt “forced” Shelnutt to put her Toyota 4Runner in neutral for a field goal, and at one point, it almost resulted in one player being hit by a car.
“One of my teammates almost ran, he fell. He tripped and fell, the car almost ran over him,” said the player.
Issues raised included a claim that Smartt had an inappropriate relationship with the player.
The player reportedly ran into Smartt, another softball program associate and teammate who is in critical condition on the couch.
“The coach maintains an inappropriately close relationship with a certain player, including sleeping where the player lives,” according to the complaint.
In a statement sent to SI, UAB said the university is “committed to providing our student-athletes with safety, respect, and excellence.”
“If our complaints are brought to our attention, we take appropriate steps to investigate them. Employment matters are handled between the institution and the employees,” added the statement.
