Former University of Utah football player Devin Green is suing coaches and administrators, claiming running backs coach Mark Atuaia limited his practice time, kept him out of certain drills and did not allow him to travel or dress for most games because of his medical condition — Type 1 diabetes.
As reported by Jason Batacao of The Salt Lake Tribune, Green filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Utah last week alleging that Atuaia, former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan and other Utes officials discriminated against him by violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
The suit also names deputy and associate athletic directors Charmelle Green, John Jentz, Jason Greco and Liz Prince as defendants. Green is requesting a jury trial and is seeking unspecified damages.
The lawsuit alleges that Whittingham should have known about Atuaia’s alleged behavior and that Harlan and other Utah administrators failed to properly protect the student-athlete.
“At no point did the university adopt or otherwise enforce any policy requiring coaches to defer to medical clearance decisions when disability-related concerns were implicated,” the lawsuit stated, as reported by the Tribune.
According to Batacao, Utes staff medically cleared Green to play football, according to the lawsuit, but Atuaia “exercised unilateral discretion to override medical clearance decisions based on his own fear and misconceptions” related to Green’s Type 1 diabetes.
The former Utah running back “was routinely limited to non-competitive or observational participation” and “was regularly denied full-speed repetitions, evaluative opportunities, and meaningful integration into game-planning,” the lawsuit alleges.
In one instance, Green’s lawsuit alleges, he was medically cleared to play and participated in preliminary drills for a team scrimmage, but Atuaia held him out because he was “scared” to put him in due to his diabetes diagnosis.
“Atuaia further acknowledged that the decision was not based on [Green’s] talent, performance or effort,” the lawsuit stated.
Other allegations, outlined by Batacao:
- Green was excluded from team travel and gameday participation. He suited up for one game against BYU but did not play.
- Atuaia directed Green to enter the NCAA transfer portal because he could not “push” him because of his diabetes.
- Green's scholarship was terminated by the program with no “meaningful notice” despite wanting to continue his education.
Green, a sophomore who transferred from UNLV in 2025, has had no interest from programs in the transfer portal, the lawsuit states, which has caused him “severe emotional distress.”
