Inquiry into Dawn Staley’s cancellation of BYU series is ‘ill-informed,’ SC senator says
A Black state senator is calling on 14 conservative members of the House to stop their “ill-informed, intrusive and unnecessary” inquiry into South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley.
State Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, Tuesday criticized the S.C. Freedom Caucus’ efforts to learn what led USC to cancel a home-and-home series with Brigham Young University earlier this month after an alleged racial incident at the private Utah university.
The 14-member caucus has requested records detailing the deliberations between USC and Staley that preceded the decision to cancel the series, citing a “legislative FOIA authority,” which Malloy said doesn’t exist.
“(The) Freedom of Information Act makes no distinction between members of the public, candidates for elected public office, members of the legislature or other categories of requestors as to who may be able to inspect or copy records of the public body,” Malloy wrote in a letter to the Freedom Caucus.
USC canceled the series — one game scheduled as this season’s home opener and one scheduled for next year — after a Duke women’s volleyball player said she heard a BYU fan shout racial slurs during a match in late August.
BYU initially banned the accused fan and then conducted an investigation. The school found no corroborating evidence a slur was used and lifted its ban.
Staley said she stood by her decision to cancel the series with BYU, but that she regretted the school, athletic director Ray Tanner and others were drawn into criticism of her choice.
Malloy called the Freedom Caucus information request ill-informed, unnecessary and intrusive, and questioned why the group would stand up for a private university in Utah rather than addressing issues within South Carolina.
“Demanding the use of our scarce resources to gather information that could possibly reveal some perceived injury to a college with a $1.97 billion endowment does not fall under either charge of duty made in our Constitution to legislators,” Malloy wrote.
In response to Malloy, the Freedom Caucus said there was a rush to judgment as the Duke player’s accusation ultimately was not corroborated.
“We understand your attempts to deflect by repeating this false narrative, but until you acknowledge the basic truths surrounding this incident, engaging in dialogue with you would be an exercise in futility,” the Freedom Caucus wrote to Malloy Tuesday.
The caucus defended its use of FOIA to uncover more information about the decision process.
“Without question, decisions and actions of a taxpayer funded institution and employee that have wide-ranging, even national impact fall under the scope of FOIA,” the caucus wrote. “To assert otherwise is ignorant or disingenuous.”
Malloy said the caucus is misusing the FOIA laws in an “attempt to find fault in a woman who has so ably led her program and represented our state in an outstanding manner.”
Malloy said the caucus did not extend a presumption of innocence or the courtesy of a conversation to Staley.
“The clear assumption is that Coach Staley responded to race-based hate inappropriately and now these individuals seek a sound bite opportunity to bolster their profile in a secondary media market where their coded language will be interpreted as they wish.”
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Inquiry into Dawn Staley’s cancellation of BYU series is ‘ill-informed,’ SC senator says."
