Ex-Rattlers allege unfair treatment

By Sean Rooney on November 15, 2018.

srooney@medicinehatnews.com @MHNRooney

Seeing three of his teammates flunk out, two others charged by the police, then nine suspended for partying wasn’t enough for Osato Obaseki to leave the Medicine Hat College Rattlers men’s basketball team.

Now he and another former Rattler allege they were treated unfairly when they were kicked off the roster — and in Obaseki’s case, out of college residence after a resident assistant alleged he assaulted her.

Obaseki and Bobby (BJ) Lacy are both of African descent and believe they were treated improperly during their time in the Gas City.

“Everyone has different realities,” said Obaseki Nov. 6, days before he was evicted from residence. “In my reality, being 6-foot-5, African-Canadian, every day I have to fight against stereotypes. That’s how we’re socialized. Now people who don’t know me, because it’s spread around campus and what-not, he assaulted an RA, he’s a hothead, he’s threatening, he’s dangerous.

“This is what’s really happening. If it was another person, if it’s a Caucasian dude, this isn’t happening.”

The college referred questions on the matter to associate vice-president Irlanda Price Nov. 8, denying interview requests with coaches and athletic department staff. Price expressed concern for the alleged discrimination while asserting that processes in place for removing players from athletic teams and residence are being adhered to.

“It’s a bit disappointing that’s how he’s feeling, and something I’ll have a conversation with him about,” said Price of Obaseki, who she’s been in contact with regarding appeals. “Believe me, if any one of us would have known that’s what any student was feeling or experiencing, we would’ve been on that right away.

“Essentially (the Rattlers staff and resident assistants) are employees and we take that seriously too. We have a duty to protect them as well, from defamation and slander.”

Lacy left the school a year ago, first upset at RA’s disciplining him for parties he claims were organized by his Caucasian roommate, then kicked off the basketball team for what he says was a drug test that falsely showed he had marijuana in his system.

“I know I passed the test, I didn’t participate (in the smoking),” said Lacy, who never played a regular season game for the Rattlers and is now back in Arkansas working as a welder. “They added that on to try to get me out of the system.

“I was clean but they couldn’t show me where I failed.

“The people that failed and knew they failed didn’t get cut.”

Lacy and Obaseki shed light on numerous incidents that occurred within the men’s basketball team. The college confirmed three players became academically ineligible and three more were put on academic monitoring in December 2017, and that nine of 12 were suspended for a party in January 2018.

All sides agree it hasn’t been a good year off the court for the team.

“The suspensions, the charges, the negative media attention, the fail-outs, it was just a crazy season,” said Obaseki, who grew up in Vancouver and played for three other post-secondary teams before Medicine Hat. “At the end of last season I was hesitant to sign back with the Rattlers. I love the program and they always exude a certain standard of excellency, so when they didn’t meet that standard of excellency that’s when I was hesitant to sign back.”

“Was it a roller coaster last year? Absolutely,” added Price.

The court case stemmed from an incident in November 2017 in which college athletes Collin Ralko and Kieron Burgess were alleged to have shot at members of the public with a BB gun, injuring one person. Burgess was given an absolute discharge after entering a guilty plea in February, while Ralko’s charge was withdrawn without explanation in March. Both were kicked off the team days after the original incident.

The suspension of nine players — not including Obaseki — in January was handled in a unique way so that the team didn’t have to forfeit a game due to lack of eligible players. Price agreed to rotating suspensions over the course of three games.

The team’s season ended with a first-round playoff loss.

With six players returning this fall, the men’s basketball team has high expectations. But an incident between Obaseki — in his fifth and final year of eligibility — and a coach Oct. 4 began a new round of tension.

Obaseki says an assistant coach hit, then later shoved him during a practice. A follow-up meeting with that coach and third-year head coach Rich Humphrey —who wasn’t at the practice in question — allegedly ended with profanities and rage on both sides of the table.

“I knew my situation with (the assistant coach) was unresolved. He didn’t give me a sincere apology. Things are not good,” said Obaseki.

Obaseki briefly quit the team but was later allowed back. Then two incidents involving RA’s occurred.

The first, he says, involved an RA reporting he was at a party with cocaine.

“I have no prior run-ins with the law, I’ve kept my nose clean and been a good member of the community,” said Obaseki, alleging the report is false. “I wouldn’t jeopardize one night of having fun for all the great things going on for me.”

Then, at a separate party at his residence in October, Obaseki says an RA with a key on a lanyard around her neck was injured when he pulled the door open with the key in the lock. He claims he did not know her key was in the lock.

“If she was here right now I’d apologize for that because I never meant no ill will to her,” he said. “I’m sorry for that. But now she’s claiming physical assault.”

Complicating the entire situation is the fact Obaseki has posted his version of the incidents on social media and named the RA as well as many others. The News is choosing not to name any of the RA’s.

Price says Obaseki was removed from the basketball team and expelled from college residence, but that he’s appealed both situations. The results of those appeals were not known by press time. Obaseki says he’s “couch-surfing” in the meantime.

The basketball appeal was heard by manager of sport and wellness Terry Ballard, women’s volleyball coach Kim Stonehouse and associate dean of business Karl Schwonik.

“Throughout this process what we really do is support everyone,” said Price. “We don’t want anyone to feel like they’re not a part of the team or part of our school. We work really hard at that.”

Lacy says he felt depressed at the lack of help in his situation, which ended with him having no money for food and eventually going home as soon as his family could afford to pay for him to return. He graduated from Malvern High School in Arkansas earlier in 2017 and was originally in residence by himself, though eventually paired with another Rattlers athlete with a reputation for partying.

“So even if I wasn’t in res at the time of his parties, because they would party during the week, it would be tied in to me,” said Lacy. “I had res fees from damages that I wasn’t even a part of.”

Asked whether he felt the colour of his skin was a factor, Lacy said he’d been warned about racism, though he didn’t say by whom.

“They told us we’re 6-8 and we’re black, so we’re going to be seen everywhere that we go,” he said. “Anything that happened was put on to us because of where we’re from and who we are.”

After the drug test he was kicked off the team. He finally left Medicine Hat three weeks before Christmas 2017.

All the college would say in response is that Lacy finished with a grade-point average of zero.

“There’s things we can say and things we can’t,” said Mark Keller, the college’s director of advancement. “The appeals process is still underway, so from our point of view it feels a little bit inappropriate to have public comment about the situation until there’s a conclusion to the appeals process.”

Both Lacy and Obaseki said they’re speaking out because they don’t want their situations to be repeated. Obaseki still hopes to be allowed back on the team.

“I want to make everyone aware,” said Obaseki. “It’s come to a point where this is unfair, what if someone in the future comes in contact with you and are treated the same way? I’m trying to express social awareness of things other people may not be aware about.”

Price reiterated there are expectations for student-athletes, but that she’s concerned about anyone who’s had a negative experience at the college.

“I want everyone who walks through that door, doesn’t matter what age, what ethnicity, what gender, what sexual orientation, they come through that door and they’re like ‘I’m safe. I’m at Medicine Hat College, I’m OK,'” said Price.

“As a college within our Rattlers program we really pride ourselves on setting high expectations for what athletes should do. How they should perform in the classroom, how they should perform in the community. Five thousand-plus volunteer hours is pretty amazing. We set a high standard.”

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