Baker-Mazara Sues USC Over Coaching Incident | California News

0:00It's September 15th. Welcome in. This is California News Today, where local news meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. Former USC basketball star Chad Baker-Mazara is suing the university, claiming he was unfairly kicked off the team. He alleges that head coach Eric Musselman went on a racially charged rant after a loss in February, leading to his dismissal. Baker-Mazara says this cost him name, image, and likeness, or NIL, money and hurt his chances of going pro. The university, however, disputes these claims. USC stated that the decision to remove Baker-Mazara was based on multiple factors, and that race was not one of them. They maintained the dismissal was not related to any discriminatory behavior by the coach. Baker-Mazara's lawsuit details an incident in the locker room where he alleges Musselman's screened at him, called him a bad teammate, and told him to go back to the Dominican Republic. This happened after a loss that essentially ended USC's postseason hopes. Baker-Mazara claims his interaction was unprovoked

1:05and discriminatory. According to the lawsuit, Baker-Mazara was not given a clear reason for his dismissal, and was barred from team facilities the next day. His NIL contract was then terminated by the university's collective, citing a morals clause. He is seeking the remaining contract money, and damages for the negative impact on his professional basketball prospects. Despite the legal battle, Baker-Mazara is still pursuing his professional career. He recently signed a contract with a G-League affiliate in Mexico City, aiming to continue his journey in basketball.