Auburn Coach’s Son Sues School Over Hairstyle

Last Friday Amy Weaver of the OPELIKA-AUBURN (AL) NEWS broke the news that Auburn Junior High ninth-grader Blaise Taylor, 14-year-old son of Auburn University assistant head football coach Trooper Taylor, was suing the school system for racial discrimination. The federal lawsuit was prompted by the grooming policy of the school’s basketball coach, Frank Tolbert. Tolbert, who is black, has had the rule in place for 30 years. This week the News provided a follow-up on the case: The suit is now expected to go to court Dec. 21 in Montgomery. Taylor’s son Blaise Taylor, a 9th-grader who refused to remove his braids, has been prevented from playing for the junior varsity basketball team because of his hairstyle. Blaise refused to change it, saying braids were important to him as a connection to his role models. On Friday in Montgomery, the Taylors filed a federal lawsuit alleging head basketball coach Frank Tolbert’s grooming policy is racially discriminatory since it singles out a...