The UAB athletic department is investigating allegations of mental and physical abuse of players by head softball coach Taylor Smartt.
Entering her second season with the Blazers in Birmingham, Alabama, Smartt had hoped to turn her first stint as a head coach into a success story. But there had been discussions around her coaching philosophy just months after she set foot on campus.
Now, nearly two years later, the school finds itself in a terrible spot, as accusations of serious misconduct arise and an investigation by the athletic department heats up.
On April 25, Taylor stepped away from the UAB softball team as the team was headed to Florida for a three-game series with USF in the American Conference.
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It was at that moment when scuttlebutt around the State of Alabama only got louder, with softball coaches at different levels openly discussing the ongoing issues in Birmingham that were allegedly taking place behind the scenes.
According to Maren Angus of SI, who first reported this story on Wednesday, the allegations against Taylor Smartt describe a softball coach living on the edge when it comes to acceptable behavior.
While Smartt missed the final five games of the regular season, along with the conference tournament, the school is taking the "appropriate steps to investigate" the allegations of physical and mental abuse.
Multiple sources told OutKick that UAB administrators were stunned to hear just how troubling some of these allegations were that have been brought forth by players and parents.
While the school has only mentioned that Smartt has taken a step back from the program, the investigation into her conduct was the sole reason for this "break".
On Thursday morning, OutKick reached out to UAB for comment on the allegations.
"Taylor Smartt has taken a step back from the program. We will make further comment when it's appropriate., UAB's BJ Millican told OutKick. "We are committed to providing a safe, respectful, and positive experience for our student athletes. When concerns are brought to our attention, we take appropriate steps to investigate them. Employment matters are handled between the institution and employees."
SI reported that Smartt was alleged to have punched a player twice in the dugout during UAB's game against East Carolina that took place on March 27 of this season.
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In addition to the coach allegedly putting her hands on a player, she is also accused of making racial comments toward a player regarding her hair, which was referenced as "jailhouse braids."
Also, Smartt is alleged by a player's parent to have made a comment to one UAB athlete that she'd needed to stop hanging out with her "charred" friends.
This led to a meeting with UAB athletic department administrators, which included other parents who say their children were subjected to abuse by the Blazers' head coach. OutKick has confirmed that the meeting took place between parents and UAB Athletic Director Mark Ingram, along with multiple other officials from the school.
But the mental and physical abuse were not the only allegations brought forth by student-athletes and their parents. According to SI, there was a night in which one player walked into an apartment and saw head coach Taylor Smartt, another person reportedly associated with the UAB softball program and a UAB softball player allegedly in a "compromising position" on the couch.
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This incident led to another complaint being filed, according to Maren Angus of SI, which OutKick confirmed. The complaint mentioned that the head coach had maintained an inappropriate relationship with a UAB student-athlete, which included the coach allegedly sleeping at the player's residence on different occasions.
At this current time, UAB officials are currently investigating numerous other complaints by players, and their parents. This also includes alleged remarks from the head coach that she would take a UAB softball player "to the bathroom and loosen my a**hole for me" as a psychological tactic.
The off-field issues that also ignited an inquiry were tied to the head coach allegedly forcing players during preseason workouts to push a Toyota 4Runner while in neutral to get it moving, and then run to get in front of the moving vehicle so that the players could then use their bodies and physical strength to then stop the vehicle.
There were also other incidents included in complaints to the athletic department pertaining to workouts that are currently being investigated, as well as allegations that the head coach held back on money that was supposed to be given to the players for meal expenses while traveling to away games.
We will see where this investigation leads, as the UAB softball season ended this week. But make no mistake, it would not be surprising if the NCAA and Title IX investigators get involved.
OutKick has reached out to Smartt for comment but has yet to get a response as of publication. OutKick will update this story as more information becomes available.
OutKick has also reached out to UAB's BJ Millican for clarification on if Smartt is being paid while she is away from the program, and has not yet received a response.
