UPBRAIDED

College Coach Accused of Insulting Black Cheerleader’s Hair Resigns

Cheer coach Casey Jamerson denied saying the student’s braids were “not collegiate” but stepped down amid a continuing uproar.

The cheerleading coach of a Kansas college has resigned after being accused of making derogatory comments about a Black team member’s braids. Ottawa University junior Talyn Jefferson says coach Casey Jamerson was angry Jefferson was wearing a hair bonnet to keep long braids from hitting someone during practice, the Kansas City Star reports. Jefferson said Jamerson told her, “You shouldn’t have gotten 7-foot-long hair,” berated her about the hairstyle being “not collegiate,” and claimed to understand Black hair because of a Black roommate. The cheerleader said the school expelled her from the squad after the Jan. 6 confrontation—and when the details became public, Jamerson filed a police report claiming she was being harassed. But on Saturday, the coach stepped down, saying she did not want to be “a distraction.”