Three college basketball players at Florida SouthWestern State are fighting back against a suspension for a pluming incident. An overflowing toilet caused damage to their dormitory in early August.
They claim unfair treatment.
The college basketball team is preparing to be without two of their best players in just a few days. An appeal process is already underway.
Florida SouthWestern State basketball players are going to be suspended.
Florida SouthWestern State College was established in 1962 as a member of the Florida College System. Located in Fort Myers, the public junior college enrolls approximately 14,000 undergraduate students.
The Buccaneers compete as members of the Suncoast Conference of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8. The men’s college basketball program currently sits at 7-3 through its first 10 games of the year.
Abdoulaye ‘Doulie’ Konate and Jeremy Innocent (yes that is his last name) play a pivotal role for Florida SouthWestern this season. The 6-foot-5 sophomore guard averages 12.0 points on 48.9% shooting with 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. The 6-foot-8 sophomore forward averages 9.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
However, both players are currently expected to be suspended as of Dec. 12.
A third student, Mason Blazer, is also facing consequences. He said he is losing his meal plans, housing and financial aid with a conduct hearing in the near future.
Konate and Innocent are facing equally as harsh penalties, including expulsion or long-term suspension, eviction from campus housing, a $5,000 fine and the potential loss of athletic scholarship. They are also appealing the decision.
A toilet with pluming issues flooded the dorm.
According to Florida SouthWestern, a toilet in a dorm suite at the college overflowed and flooded part of the residence hall. The college determined the overflow stemmed from a clog that required professional repair, which caused thousands of dollars in damage.
Abdoulaye Konate and Jeremy Innocent share the suite. They were identified as responsible but they deny any deliberate wrongdoing.
The students claim they used a body wash bottle as a stopper for a toilet that already had issues.
“Our toilet was already messed up,” Innocent told Wink News. “I clogged it the first time I told them, it took them, like, till the end of the day to come fix it, and my teammate blocked it the second time, I told them, same time it took them to the end of the day, and the third time, it just started tripping by itself.”
The college claims they are spreading false information.
We are disappointed that these students continue to spread inaccurate information. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the conduct process at FSW are designed to protect students’ privacy and reputation. The college continues to protect and provide fairness, equity, and due process to all students in this and all situations.
Students receive all documentation related to their own conduct matters, including incident reports, evidence reviewed, findings, and any educational sanctions. They are free to provide that information to you at their discretion. However, due to federal laws, specifically FERPA, as well as FSW’s internal operating procedures regarding student records, the college does not comment on specifics of any student conduct cases.
Florida SouthWestern State College is committed to maintaining an environment that fosters learning and personal development. All members of the Florida SouthWestern State College community are responsible for their own behavior and are expected to be familiar with the rules and regulations of the College. Students are expected to uphold these standards of behavior and to respect the rights of others.
In every case the college follows a rigorous process, outlined in our Student Code of Conduct, designed to provide due process and a fair, impartial hearing of alleged violations of community standards. In the event of a sanction as a result of a violation, as indicated in the Student Code of Conduct: Florida SouthWestern State College makes every attempt to provide an educational sanction that will help a student to make better choices in the future. The educational sanction applied will become progressively more demanding if the student repeats violations, demonstrating that learning has not taken place. An accumulation of a variety of violations may result in severe sanctions such as suspension, expulsion, or negative notation on a transcript.
— Florida SouthWestern State College statement
Teammates, fellow students and even a local chapter of the NAACP rallied behind the student-athletes.
A women’s volleyball player who lives in the same dorm as Konate and Innocent revealed that plumbing issues are extremely common. Her teammates have asked the two basketball players for help with clogged toilets in the past. There were at least 20 prior incidents of similar damage, per the NAACP.
What happens next?
All three students involved with this incident are going to fight the decision. Appeals are already underway. Conduct hearings will take place in the coming days and weeks.
The suspension of Konate and Innocent is currently set to begin on Dec. 12 with an end date yet to be announced. The Buccaneers have three college basketball games scheduled for Dec. 12, 15 and 16 before they break for the holiday. They will return to the court on Jan. 3.
Will their full team be with them? That has yet to be seen.