Former Iowa State basketball star Nikki Moody has formally filed a lawsuit against her alma mater, the state of Iowa and basketball coach Bill Fennelly for racial discrimination and retaliation, according to local CBS affiliate KCCI, in Des Moines.
As stated in the lawsuit, Moody claims that Fennelly, who has been the Cyclones coach since 1995, called her a “thug”, constantly demeaned, berated, harassed and discriminated against Moody, who is a black woman. She also alleged that her former coach treated white players differently than African-American players and that the abuse she was given caused emotional distress, and added that her complaints to assistant coaches and administrators in the athletic department were never responded to.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for Moody, who graduated in 2015 as a four-year starter and is currently the career leader in assists for the Cyclones. During her career, she averaged 14.5 points and 6.8 assists per game in her senior season. After college, she was selected 33rd overall by the San Antonio Stars in the 2015 WNBA Draft, but was soon cut thereafter.