USC is headed into the season with an off-court legal fight already hanging over Eric Musselman’s program.
Former Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara has filed a lawsuit against Musselman and the university after his dismissal from the team in early March, according to the California Post. The filing, obtained by Edward Lewis, centers on what Baker-Mazara says happened after USC’s loss to Nebraska late in February.
That night ended with USC falling 82-67 to the Cornhuskers, but the lawsuit says the bigger clash came afterward in the locker room. Baker-Mazara had gone to the floor hard while defending a layup in the third quarter after USC had already fallen behind by three. He later returned to the bench after heading to the locker room, and it was the last time he was seen in a Trojans uniform.
By the next morning, USC’s leading scorer was gone.
The suit alleges Musselman “launched into a profanity-laced, racially-charged post-game locker room tirade” aimed at Baker-Mazara. It says Musselman yelled at the team after the lopsided loss, and when Baker-Mazara tried to speak to his teammates, Musselman snapped, “You shut the (expletive) up! You are one of the worst teammates anyone could ever have.”
The lawsuit also claims Musselman told him, “Yes, leave! Go back to the (expletive) Dominican Republic!
Nobody wants you here!! (Expletive) you!”
Baker-Mazara says those remarks were taken by him “to be racist and discriminatory, akin to telling an African American to go back to Africa.”
He also alleges that USC and its agents and representatives damaged his character to “at least one media outlet” after his dismissal, while never giving or releasing a reason for why he was let go.
Bruce Pearl, who coached Baker-Mazara at Auburn, addressed the situation back in March. Pearl praised Baker-Mazara’s talent and competitiveness while also noting that his emotions have sometimes gotten the better of him.
"My grandfather always told me if you don’t have something good to say about somebody, don’t say anything at all. But I’ve got something good to say about Chad Baker-Mazara.
He helped us get to the Final Four, we won a league championship with him. On a good day, last year in the NBA Draft, on his good day, he would’ve been about the 20th-best player taken in the NBA Draft last year on a good day," said Pearl.
"But we all know that Chad has bad days. So, an incredibly talented kid with a real gift. . .
He’s got just a really good feel for it, he knows how to play, he really competes. His emotions at times have gotten the better of him, I have no idea what happened at USC," Pearl continued.
Baker-Mazara is 26 and went undrafted in this year’s NBA draft. He is expected to play professionally in Puerto Rico. Before USC, he had played at four other schools, including Duquesne, San Diego State, and Auburn.
USC has not yet heard from Musselman on the matter. A USC spokesperson told the California Post that Baker-Mazara’s dismissal had nothing to do with race and that the school intends to “defeating this action in court.”
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