LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Southern California basketball player Chad Baker-Mazara is suing the university and coach Eric Musselman after his abrupt dismissal from the team in March.
The lawsuit filed Monday
in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges Musselman kicked Baker-Mazara off the team after the Trojans were eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention to avoid paying the remainder of his NIL contract.
It also alleges Musselman directed racially charged remarks at Baker-Mazara following a Feb. 28 loss to 12th-ranked Nebraska. The Trojans were in the midst of losing eight straight games to end the season.
Baker-Mazara alleges breach of contract, conversion and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage in the lawsuit, which doesn't state a specific dollar amount he is seeking.
“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,” USC said Tuesday in a statement. “We look forward to defeating this action in court.”
Baker-Mazara claims the Trojans terminated his NIL agreements with the program the day after he was removed from the roster on March 1, stating he had violated a “morals clause.” The lawsuit alleges USC has not paid the remainder of the promised NIL earnings.
“I gave everything I had to USC. I played through injuries, showed up for my teammates every day, and honored my commitments,” Baker-Mazara said Tuesday in a statement from his publicist. “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.”
The lawsuit cites a locker room incident after the Trojans’ loss to Nebraska in which Baker-Mazara claimed Musselman “lost his mind” during a profanity-laced tirade in front of the team.
Baker-Mazara attempted to address his teammates in the locker room, the lawsuit says, when Musselman said, “You shut the (expletive) up! You are one of the worst teammates anyone can ever have!”
Baker-Mazara responded, "Wow Coach, do you need me to leave because I don’t understand this animosity,” according to the lawsuit.
Musselman responded, "Yes, leave! Go back to the (expletive) Dominican Republic! Nobody wants you here!! (Expletive) you!,” the lawsuit states.
Baker-Mazara, a 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic, took the comments to be racist and discriminatory, according to the lawsuit first obtained by The California Post.
The next day, Baker-Mazara was dropped from the team. The lawsuit says USC never gave him a reason for his dismissal.
Baker-Mazara averaged 18.5 points as the team's second-leading scorer while starting 22 of 26 games for the struggling Trojans last season, including a 14-point effort the 82-67 loss to Nebraska a day before being dismissed. At the time, no reason or details were provided in a brief statement from the school.
He wasn't selected in this year's NBA draft.
Baker-Mazara was MVP of the Maui Invitational, won by the Trojans last November.
USC was Baker-Mazara’s fifth school. He began his college career at Duquesne before transferring to San Diego State for his second season, when he earned Mountain West Conference sixth man of the year honors.
He went from there to Northwest Florida State College for one season and transferred to Auburn for two seasons, where he helped the Tigers reach the Final Four in 2025. He left Auburn to join USC for his final collegiate season.
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Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report.
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