The Griffin Complex at Gwynedd Mercy University
PHILADELPHIA – A Division III basketball coach says he was injured in a post-game brawl and is suing Gwynedd Mercy University.
“Emotions among players and staff were elevated,” Deshawn Lowman’s lawyers wrote in an October complaint in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas that has since been removed to federal court.
Lowman’s team, Neumann University, won 80-78 on Jan. 3, 2024, but Gwynedd Mercy allowed players from both teams to exit in the same route at the same time, the suit says.
Players pushed each other, which escalated into a fight. Lowman tried to break it up but was “struck, kicked, punched and physically assaulted” by the other team, he says.
“Defendants knew, or should have known, of the high risk of physical altercation that would result from the players of both teams attempting to exit the building at the same time,” his lawsuit says.
His injuries include a concussion that has caused difficulty with his speech, the suit says, plus pain in his shoulders, neck and back. He is represented by Erik Snyder of Snyder Law Group.
On Nov. 18, Gwynedd Mercy moved to dismiss the lawsuit, saying no one forced him to get in the middle of the fight.
“The complaint makes clear that Plaintiff placed himself in danger – the danger did not come to him,” the motion says. “Any injuries that he suffered were not the result of any breach of duty… but rather his independent action in placing him in harm’s way.”
Salvatore Vilardi of Cipriani & Werner represents the school.