Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Chad Baker-Mazara via his representation.
Former Southern California men's basketball guard Chad Baker-Mazara has filed a lawsuit against USC and coach Eric Musselman regarding his abrupt and bizarre exit from the program.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Sept. 14 and first reported by the California Post, alleges Musselman removed Baker-Mazara from the team after the Trojans were eliminated from NCAA tournament contention to avoid paying the remainder of his NIL contract.
The complaint also alleges Musselman directed racially charged remarks at Baker-Mazara following a Feb. 28 loss to Nebraska, the fifth of eight straight losses to end the season.
READING: From USC’s leading scorer to gone overnight. Chad Baker-Mazara tells his side of story
Baker-Mazara is suing for breach of contract, conversion and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.
"The decision to remove the student-athlete from the men's basketball roster was based on a number of considerations, none having to do with race. We look forward to defeating this action in court," a USC spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.
The lawsuit alleges USC has not paid the remainder of the promised NIL earnings. Baker-Mazara claims the Trojans terminated his NIL agreements with the program the day after he was removed from the roster, stating he had violated a "morals clause."
"I gave everything I had to USC. I played through injuries, showed up for my teammates every day, and honored my commitments. Filing this lawsuit was not an easy decision, but I believe it is important to stand up for what you were promised and what you are owed," Baker-Mazara said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports through a representative.
"I am proud of what I accomplished throughout my college career, and I remained focused on my professional basketball career, my family, and the opportunities ahead. I look forward to letting the fact speak for themselves through the legal process."
Baker-Mazara, who transferred from Auburn to USC before the 2025-26 season, sustained an injury while blocking a shot in the opening minutes of the second half against Nebraska on Feb. 28. That was his final play and game in a Trojans uniform: USC announced Baker-Mazara was no longer with the team the following day.
"My body was telling me, 'No, buddy. As bad as you want to play, it’s a no-go,'" Baker-Mazara told USA TODAY Sports' Andres Soto in June.
Per The Athletic, the lawsuit claims USC's NIL collective told Baker-Mazara’s representatives on Feb. 13 — two weeks before he was kicked off the team — that the originally missed February payment would be forthcoming. Then, on Feb. 24, before USC's crosstown rivalry game vs. UCLA, Baker-Mazara’s representatives were told the cutoff date to process the February NIL payment had passed and that it would be included with the March one.
Baker-Mazara went undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft. He averaged 18.5 points and shot 44.4% from the field in 26 games last season for the Trojans.
The lawsuit also touches on a locker room incident after the Trojans' loss to the Cornhuskers in which Baker-Mazara claimed Musselman "lost his mind." It states that, after Baker-Mazara attempted to address his teammates in the locker room, Musselman erupted and said, "You shut the (expletive) up! You are one of the worst teammates anyone can ever have!"
Per the California Post, Baker-Mazara asked Musselman if he wanted him to leave as he did not "understand this animosity." Musselman's response to that, according to the lawsuit, was: "Yes, leave! Go back to the (expletive) Dominican Republic! Nobody wants you here!! (Expletive) you!"
"The words 'Go back to the (expletive) Dominican Republic' are generally understood by persons of color in the United States originating from the Dominican Republic — and were in fact taken by Baker-Mazara — to be racist and discriminatory, akin to telling an African-American to ‘go back to Africa,'" the lawsuit stated, per The California Post.
"Coach Musselman’s outburst was a direct attack on Baker-Mazara’s national origin and Dominican heritage, made from a position of authority and power by the head coach of the team, in front of all of Baker-Mazara’s teammates. The tirade was unprovoked, vicious, and discriminatory."
Speaking to USA TODAY Sports in that exclusive interview in June, Baker-Mazara said he was unable to comment on the specifics of the locker room discussion due to pending litigation. Former Trojans guard Ryan Cornish corroborated USC forward Terrance Williams II's retelling of events to USA TODAY Sports, saying "people's emotions flared up" but that it never went beyond the normal emotions that come with playing the game.
"It was all healthy though," Williams told USA TODAY Sports. "It wasn’t nothing negative."
Baker-Mazara told USA TODAY Sports he still has not heard from Musselman since the day he was removed from the team.
"It’s really hurtful. Because I thought I had a strong enough relationship that we could just sit down and talk about anything. At least that’s what it was throughout the whole year," Baker-Mazara told USA TODAY Sports. "... Me and him didn’t see eye to eye on everything, but at the end of the day, I feel like we had a strong enough relationship, or nothing bad enough happened, to where I should’ve been dismissed from the team."
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chad Baker-Mazara alleges Eric Musselman racist 'tirade,' unpaid NIL from USC in lawsuit
