Former SMU Basketball Player Jennifer Colli Sues After Questions About Sex Life

Former SMU Basketball Player Jennifer Colli Sues After Questions About Sex Life
Former SMU Basketball Player Jennifer Colli Sues After Questions About Sex Life

Jennifer Colli just wanted to play basketball, not discuss her lesbian relationships.
 

After complaining about invasion into her personal life, Colli’s basketball scholarship was revoked. Now, the former SMU player is suing the school and head coach Rhonda Rompola.
 

Throughout her freshman year on the team, Colli alleges that Rompola would bring up the gay couples on the team and how she didn’t approve of them. The 21-year-old Colli was in fact in a relationship with a team member and at her year-end review she says Rompola asked her more about the relationship than about basketball.
 

Eventually Colli couldn’t take it anymore. The Dallas Morning News reports:

In June 2006, Colli told athletic director Steve Orsini about her issues with Rompola, thinking "she was standing up for her team because others had encountered nearly the same problems" with the coach, the lawsuit states. Colli wanted to focus on basketball instead of private relationships.

Two months later, Colli was notified that she was losing her athletic scholarship because none of the information she provided to Orsini could be verified. SMU accused her of "serious misconduct," Colli's complaint states.

Now Colli is off the basketball courts and in the legal courts, asking for $2 million in damages and $450,000 in attorney’s fees.
 

In the meantime, Colli, who once wanted to play professional basketball in Europe, is no longer playing at all. Instead, she lives in California and is an aspiring model.
 

Just a word of caution to Colli: The media has a tendency to ask famous models about their personal lives… relationships and all. Play it up to your advantage... the lesbian angle certainly worked for Megan Fox.
 

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Comments

Anonymous
i am sure the reason she wont be able to succeed in modeling is because of the biggots Posted 09/25/2008 12:49 PMReply
Anonymous
ummm...so she is trying to say that in womens hoops...lesbianism was frowned upon? that in and of itself is truly obsurd Posted 09/25/2008 12:50 PMReply
Anonymous
not frowned upon but it was focused on rather than basketball... there is a difference Posted 09/25/2008 3:49 PMReply
Anonymous
If she was really good they would have listened. But since she wasnt that means she is expendable. Teammates should not be having sex and that was the basis of what she said the coach said. Imagine if the QB and RB were having a gay relationship in a top college program. This is not homophobia but "extreme" distractions. Posted 09/26/2008 03:52 AMReply
Anonymous
First of all, she is a good ball player...i've played against her on several occasions. And as for Rompola, it has been a rumor for several years that she too was gay. And I 100% know that members of her coaching staff are gay...my good friend is dating one of them now! The coach did not have the right to ask her about her personal life unless Jennifer was allowed to do the same to her. And as far as having a relationship with one of your teammates, yes it can cause a strain but as a true athlete you learn to keep off the court stuff, off the court. More power to ya Jen...didn't even know you played on my team or I would have tried to holla :) Posted 09/26/2008 08:13 AMReply

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