Ole Miss defensive tackle DeSanto Rollins has filed a lawsuit against the University of Mississippi and Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin, leveling accusations of racial and sexual discrimination, as well as failure to provide equal protection.
According to reports, the lawsuit, filed by Rollins, claims that Kiffin took adverse action against the defensive tackle “on account of race for requesting and taking a mental health break,” further alleging preferential treatment towards white athletes.
In addition, the lawsuit contends that the university lacked “written institutional procedures for routine mental health referrals” and displayed a differential approach to female athletes seeking mental health assistance.
The heart of Rollins’ lawsuit centers around an alleged confrontational conversation with Coach Kiffin, which Rollins claims ultimately led to his removal from the team.
A transcript of this alleged conversation was included in the lawsuit. In it, Kiffin is alleged to have informed Rollins that he was “off the team” and dismissed him with a casual “see ya.”
Rollins insists that this exchange occurred during what he describes as a “mental health crisis” brought about by a series of injuries and an alleged demotion to the scout team.
The lawsuit outlines that Rollins was reassigned from his role as a defensive tackle to the scout team offensive line after expressing his unwillingness to transfer. Rollins accuses Kiffin of telling him, “if he didn’t like it, then he should quit.”
This significant shift in his role followed a string of injuries in Rollins’ Ole Miss career, including a debilitating Achilles injury in the summer of 2022.
The lawsuit asserts that Rollins endured “severe depression, anxiety, frustration, embarrassment, humiliation, a loss of sleep and a loss of appetite” as a result of these injuries and the subsequent death of his grandmother in January.
According to the lawsuit, Rollins was encouraged by the school’s assistant athletic director for sport psychology to meet with Kiffin on March 7, 2023, but Rollins expressed that he was not ready for such a meeting. The meeting eventually took place two weeks later.
When the meeting finally took place, Kiffin allegedly called Rollins a “p*ssy,” asking “what f*cking world” he lived in by skipping workouts and meetings.
“Kiffin maliciously, deliberately, intentionally, and in blatant disregard for the rights and health of Rollins verbally assaulted him during the March 21, 2023 meeting knowing that Rollins was suffering mental and emotional anxiety, distress, and depression,” the suit says.
To this point, Ole Miss has denied any knowledge of a lawsuit and have refuted the claims of Rollins’ removal from the football team.
“We have not received a lawsuit,” the statement read. “DeSanto was never removed from the football team and remains on scholarship. In addition, he continues to have the opportunity to receive all of the resources and advantages that are afforded a student-athlete at the university.”
There is surely more to come from this story…