Tuskegee University men's basketball coach Benjy Taylor was handcuffed and escorted off the court by police following his team's 77-69 defeat to Morehouse College. The incident stemmed from a dispute over postgame protocols involving Morehouse football players in the handshake line. Taylor, who was released without charges, is considering legal action with his attorneys.
The altercation occurred on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at Morehouse College in Atlanta, after a competitive Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game between the two historic HBCU rivals. Tuskegee fell 77-69, but tensions escalated during the postgame handshake. According to Taylor's attorneys, the coach approached police officers to enforce conference-mandated security protocols, concerned that Morehouse football players were intermingling with basketball players and parents, creating a potentially dangerous situation with aggressive behavior and obscenities.
Videos circulating online captured Taylor appearing animated but not physically aggressive. A brief exchange with an officer quickly led to Taylor being handcuffed and led off the court into a hallway, then into a weight room. He was later released without charges and rejoined his team for the trip home.
Tuskegee athletic director Reginald Ruffin explained that the coach was ensuring protocols were followed for the protection of officials, athletes, coaches, and spectators. Taylor, who has led the Golden Tigers since 2019 after stints at Hawaii and Chicago State, described the ordeal as humiliating. “I am at a loss for words and I am upset about how I was violated and treated today,” he told The Field of 68. “For my players, my family and people of Tuskegee to witness that is heartbreaking for me. I was simply trying to get the football team out of the handshake line as they were following right behind me and the team yelling obscenities. It was a very dangerous situation.”
Taylor's legal team, including attorneys Harry Daniels, Gregory Reynald Williams, and Gerald Griggs, issued a statement on Sunday condemning the treatment. “Coach Taylor is a good man who did the right thing to protect his team and deescalate a dangerous situation and this officer put him in chains for his troubles,” Williams said. Daniels added, “It would be bad for a police officer to treat anyone like this... to put him in handcuffs, humiliate him and treat him like a criminal in front of his team, his family and a gym full of fans is absolutely disgusting and they need to be held accountable.”
The attorneys are investigating all legal avenues, including a possible civil lawsuit. The exact reason for the handcuffing remains unclear, but the incident has sparked outrage over the handling of the situation.
