09/15/26 04:41:00
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09/15 14:57 CDT Chad Baker-Mazara sues USC and Eric Musselman, alleging NIL pay
dispute and racial remarks
Chad Baker-Mazara sues USC and Eric Musselman, alleging NIL pay dispute and
racial remarks
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Former Southern California basketball player Chad
Baker-Mazara is suing the university and coach Eric Musselman after his abrupt
dismissal from the team in March.
The lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges Musselman kicked
Baker-Mazara off the team after the Trojans were eliminated from NCAA
Tournament contention to avoid paying the remainder of his NIL contract.
It also alleges Musselman directed racially charged remarks at Baker-Mazara
following a Feb. 28 loss to 12th-ranked Nebraska. The Trojans were in the midst
of losing eight straight games to end the season.
Baker-Mazara alleges breach of contract, conversion and intentional
interference with prospective economic advantage in the lawsuit, which doesn't
state a specific dollar amount he is seeking.
"The decision to remove the student-athlete from the men's basketball roster
was based on a number of considerations, none having to do with race," USC said
Tuesday in a statement. "We look forward to defeating this action in court."
Baker-Mazara claims the Trojans terminated his NIL agreements with the program
the day after he was removed from the roster on March 1, stating he had
violated a "morals clause." The lawsuit alleges USC has not paid the remainder
of the promised NIL earnings.
"I gave everything I had to USC. I played through injuries, showed up for my
teammates every day, and honored my commitments," Baker-Mazara said Tuesday in
a statement from his publicist. "Filing this lawsuit was not an easy decision,
but I believe it is important to stand up for what you were promised and what
you are owed."
The lawsuit cites a locker room incident after the Trojans' loss to Nebraska in
which Baker-Mazara claimed Musselman "lost his mind" during a profanity-laced
tirade in front of the team.
Baker-Mazara attempted to address his teammates in the locker room, the lawsuit
says, when Musselman said, "You shut the (expletive) up! You are one of the
worst teammates anyone can ever have!"
Baker-Mazara responded, "Wow Coach, do you need me to leave because I don't
understand this animosity," according to the lawsuit.
Musselman responded, "Yes, leave! Go back to the (expletive) Dominican
Republic! Nobody wants you here!! (Expletive) you!," the lawsuit states.
Baker-Mazara, a 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic, took the comments to
be racist and discriminatory, according to the lawsuit first obtained by The
California Post.
The next day, Baker-Mazara was dropped from the team. The lawsuit says USC
never gave him a reason for his dismissal.
Baker-Mazara averaged 18.5 points as the team's second-leading scorer while
starting 22 of 26 games for the struggling Trojans last season, including a
14-point effort the 82-67 loss to Nebraska a day before being dismissed. At the
time, no reason or details were provided in a brief statement from the school.
He wasn't selected in this year's NBA draft.
Baker-Mazara was MVP of the Maui Invitational, won by the Trojans last November.
USC was Baker-Mazara's fifth school. He began his college career at Duquesne
before transferring to San Diego State for his second season, when he earned
Mountain West Conference sixth man of the year honors.
He went from there to Northwest Florida State College for one season and
transferred to Auburn for two seasons, where he helped the Tigers reach the
Final Four in 2025. He left Auburn to join USC for his final collegiate season.
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Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report.
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