University of Hartford athletes sue to stop school from moving to Division III athletics

Alex Putterman

Hartford Courant

Jul 07, 2021 6:58 PM

In April, University of Hartford athletes marched in protest of the school's proposal to downgrade from NCAA Division I to Division III athletics. Seven University of Hartford athletes and two student managers have filed a lawsuit in federal court attempting to halt the school's transition from Division I to Division III athletics. (Brad Horrigan/The Hartford Courant)

Seven University of Hartford athletes and two student managers have filed a lawsuit in federal court attempting to halt the school's transition from Division I to Division III athletics.

According to the suit, the athletes and managers "attend the University of Hartford because it promised to help them achieve their athletic potential through 'accountability, consistency, leadership, and pride.'"

"The plaintiffs bring this lawsuit," the filing reads, "because the University of Hartford broke its promise to them when it decided to move from Division I to Division III, and when it made that decision based on information it knew, or should have known, is inaccurate and misleading."

University of Hartford President Gregory Woodward. (University of Hartford)

The suit, filed Wednesday, seeks a permanent injunction requiring UHart to remain part of Division I, as well as both compensatory and punitive damages.

"It's sickening to see the way this is going down," Briggs McClain, a sophomore basketball player and one of the plaintiffs, said in an interview Wednesday. "So basically this lawsuit is our last fight, our last punch to see if we can overturn the decision."

In a statement Wednesday evening, a university spokesperson said the school had just received the lawsuit and would review it.

"The leadership of the University of Hartford is confident the decision about a future change to our athletic division is in the best long term interest of our students and the institution," the statement said.

The plaintiffs allege that UHart officials falsely promised that the athletes would be able to participate in Division I athletics for up to five years, misleading them into enrolling in the university and staying there when they had opportunities to go elsewhere.

The suit also accuses university president Gregory Woodward, named as a defendant alongside the university and its Board of Trustees, of recommending a shift to Division III despite knowledge of "serious errors" in the report he had commissioned from an outside consulting firm.

The group of plaintiffs includes two athletes and two managers from UHart's men's basketball team, along with one athlete each from the softball, volleyball, men's soccer, men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse. They are being represented by the Hartford-based law firm Halloran & Sage.

A GoFundMe page soliciting donations "to assist the legal action to remain Division 1″ has raised more than $7,600 as of Thursday morning.

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UHart's Board of Regents voted in early May to transition from Division I to Division III, over the objections of athletes and alumni who argued the school benefits from its Division I status through prestige, fundraising and alumni engagement.

Athletes have staged multiple protests on campus in an attempt to stop the shift to Division III, while some students were recorded booing Woodward during a commencement ceremony, leading him to leave the event early.

Woodward has declined repeated interview requests but argued in a Courant op-ed that shifting to Division III would save UHart money, allowing the school to focus more principally on academics.

Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com.