Six University of Buffalo Swimmers Suing School After Men’s Team Cut

Photo Courtesy: Buffalo Athletics

Six University of Buffalo swimmers are filing a lawsuit against the university after it abruptly cut the men’s team in early April, according to a report from the Buffalo student newspaper The Spectrum.

Six swimmers are seeking compensation from the university in order to cover their expenses to transfer to another institution so that they can continue swimming. The university promised to honor all scholarships even after the team was cut and would allow any transfers, but transferring could lead to extreme financial burdens, in some cases $60,000 or more, for students and their families.

Since the decision to cut the team did not come until so late, few schools had any scholarship money remaining to accommodate transfers from Buffalo.

“By saying you can stay here, quit swimming and keep your scholarship, we’re losing everything else so that’s really not fair to us,” freshman swimmer Joey Puglessi told The Spectrum. “People say ‘don’t worry about the money — everything’s gonna work out,’ but a lot of the people that say that have never been in this position where we’re on the verge of losing tens of thousands of dollars.

“As much as people say ‘it’s all gonna work out, you’ll be fine, ignore the financial aspects,’ it’s just too big to ignore. [Not swimming anymore] definitely crossed my mind, academically I’m doing really well here, financially I’m very comfortable, at first it seemed like ‘I’ll give it up just to help my parents avoid taking out loans.”

The Spectrum tells the stories other swimmers involved in the suit, including Ohio-native high school senior Carson Burt, who originally committed to Buffalo but is now committed to swim at Ohio State because his parents could only afford in-state tuition.

“My coach pulled me out of the water because he wanted to make sure I heard the right way and not from chatter from other people,” Burt said. “We had an emotional moment for about an hour and a half where we were kind of like dumbfounded by the whole situation. It was like my future that I saw myself going into had fallen apart within 30 seconds and I had no idea how to react.”

Richard Lydecker, a Buffalo swimming alum and attorney, is representing the six swimmers pro bono. Lydecker had previously threatened to sue the school on his own (around the same time swimmers staged a sit-in at the school president’s office).

“I think it is so wrong that the administration would treat such a large group of kids, vulnerable kids, to treat them this way and literally throw many of their swimming or diving careers out the window,” Lydecker said, according to The Spectrum.

Other swimmers involved in the suit include current sophomore Zach Towers and Mason Miller, freshman Luke Gordon and incoming freshman Trey Lowe.

Read more from The Spectrum by clicking here.

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Butler Buck

6 years ago

I hope they win, but it will be a difficult case.

Very disheartening for kids that did give up good offers at other schools to swim at Buffalo to have the rug pulled out from under them.

Bob Sommers

6 years ago

Buffalo committed to these student/athletes & now wants to void their agreement. Buffalo should be obligated to place these athletes AND pay for it. The lesson Buffalo is teaching? You can ignore obligations if it suits you. How credible is this school?