A lawsuit alleges the head coach of the University of Cincinnati women's volleyball team
repeatedly body shamed one of the players.
Shalom Ifeanyi filed a Title IX lawsuit against head coach Molly Alvey. Ifeanyi says Alvey repeatedly criticized photos the player posted to Instagram, forcing her to remove them, singling her out and not criticizing any of the other players, and eventually removing her from the team.
Ifeanyi says she may have been singled out for her photos because she is Black. She says the head coach repeatedly told her to remove Instagram images, calling them "too sexy," and that "no such requests were made to other members of the women's volleyball team who were of slighter build and lighter complexion despite photographs picturing them in outfits, including but not limited to, two-piece swimsuits."
Ifeanyi started posting only headshots to social media, but Alvey still took issue with it. She forced Ifeanyi to remove a headshot of her in a white tank top, saying, "When the football players see this, what do you think they see? They see your breasts. It's seductive," according to the lawsuit.
Later, she received another text from the coach: "Shalom, please remove these pictures today." She had attached images of Ifeanyi wearing a black tank top.
Eventually, Alvey removed Ifeanyi from the team.Coaching should never involve body shaming or policing of social media posts. Ifeanyi has every right to self-expression on social media. Alvey's targeted bullying and shaming of this student has made it clear that she is not fit to coach young women. Please sign this petition if you would like to see Alvey removed from her position.