Iowa State has settled a civil rights complaint with former tennis player Erin Freeman for $100,000.
According to the Des Moines Register, the settlement refrains from acknowledging any wrongdoing on the part of either party and bars both Freeman and the school from commenting on the outcome of the case.
The initial complaint was filed in May with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, citing an abuse of the Title IX and federal anti-discrimination legislation. Freeman alleged that she was "subjected to repeated acts of racial discrimination and sexual discrimination in violation of Title IX."
In an email to the Register, Freeman also charged that "representatives of Iowa State University created a hostile educational environment, have enlisted other student-athletes in their efforts to drive me (and the only other African-American team member) out of the Women's Tennis Program, and have deprived me of educational opportunities based on my race."
Iowa State did not renew tennis coach Armando Espinosa’s contract, saying at the time that the “decision was reached after our normal review period which follows the conclusion of the season, just as we do with all of our programs. It was entirely based on ... the program’s failure to improve competitively.”
Freeman will receive $66,666.67, while the remaining $33,333.33 will cover the costs incurred by The Sports Group, the firm that represented Freeman. She will be recognized as a student-athlete at graduation.
Freeman was suspended from the Iowa State tennis team on April 11 and reinstated on May 8.
