Appeals court affirms decision to dismiss former UGA baseball player's lawsuit

Wayne Ford, Athens Banner-Herald
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FILE - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit affirmed a lower court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit filed by former University of Georgia baseball player Adam Sasser, who contended his right to freedom of speech was violated when he was suspended from the team and from campus.
FILE - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit affirmed a lower court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit filed by former University of Georgia baseball player Adam Sasser, who contended his right to freedom of speech was violated when he was suspended from the team and from campus.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit this month affirmed a lower court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a former University of Georgia baseball player who contended his right to freedom of speech was violated when he was suspended from the team and from campus.

UGA player Adam Sasser of Evans, Georgia had originally filed a federal lawsuit against UGA, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, the UGA Athletic Association and related parties after he was removed from the baseball team in fall 2018.

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Sasser, who was a senior and a starting first baseman, was dismissed after students attending a football game between UGA and Tennessee reported to officials that Sasser used a racial slur aimed at quarterback Justin Fields, a Black player on Georgia’s team that year.

The 11th Circuit decision upheld a previous U.S. Northern District Court decision to dismiss the lawsuit saying there was no individual liability or liability on the part of the Board of Regents or the Athletic Association.

Sasser, who was among Georgia’s leading hitters, was also suspended from classes in fall 2018 and suspended from attending UGA home events as a spectator and banned from the campus.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Court upholds dismissal of ex-baseball player's suit against UGA