UAB softball coach accused of abuse, racist remarks, inappropriate relationship with player, staff | Report

Near the end of April, UAB said its softball coach Taylor Smartt was “taking a step back” from the program. A new report reveals why.

According to a story published May 6 by Softball on Sports Illustrated, Smartt has been accused of physical and mental abuse toward her players, making racist remarks, having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member and player, and NCAA and Title IX violations.

Smartt has been away from the team since April 25. The Blazers’ season ended May 6 in Greenville, N.C., at the American Conference Tournament where Tulsa walked-off UAB for a 2-1 victory. UAB finished the season 21-33 in Smartt’s second season at the helm.

According to SI, Smartt’s alleged misbehavior began when she took over the reins of the program in 2024. SI says it spoke with 10 people with ties to the softball program, including four current players, four parents, a former player and a booster. Some of them spoke on the record and SI obtained emails where complaints about Smartt were documented.

Multiple people in the UAB athletic department did not immediately respond to a request for comment when reached by USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday afternoon.

People who spoke to SI allege a player walked in on Smartt, Director of Operations Julie Money and a teammate on a couch in the player’s apartment in a “compromising position.” A complaint obtained by SI was filed and claims Smartt “maintains an inappropriately close relationship” with a player and has slept over at the player’s apartment.

The people also allege Smartt punched one of her players twice during a series at East Carolina in March. Four current players told SI that Smartt would “threaten to loosen their buttholes with her fingers.”

Smartt also allegedly incorporated an offseason workout that required players to push assistant coach Anna Shelnutt’s Toyota 4Runner, then sprint ahead of it and stop it from moving. One player told SI that a teammate was nearly ran over by the SUV while doing this. Smartt also made players — including those who didn’t know how to swim — tread water, according to the report. Another form of alleged physical punishment was forcing players to do somersaults for long periods of time for tardiness.

Lindsey Dupree, the mother of a former UAB player, said Smartt referred to her daughter’s hairstyle as “jailhouse braids.”

“She is manipulative and makes you second-guess your worth as a player, a friend, and just as a human,” the player, Auburn Dupree, told SI.

The people who spoke to SI also accuse Smartt of withholding food from players, and reducing their meal per diem money for road trips.

“I absolutely believe what the parents and student-athletes have said to be true,” a program booster, Robert Ray, told SI. “I don’t see any reason why they would make any of this up. I have seen these girls in pain.”

Other allegations against Smartt outlined by SI include her exceeding practice time limits, falsely reporting practice as community service work and entering the locker room while players were changing.

Smartt, a native of Troy, Alabama, was previously the associate head coach at FAU.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UAB softball coach Taylor Smartt accused of abuse, racist remarks in SI report