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DeSanto Rollins’ lawsuit against Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and the University of Mississippi was dropped by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi on Wednesday, according to court documents obtained by ESPN’s Chris Low.
Rollins, a defensive tackle for the Rebels, initially filed the lawsuit in September “alleging racial discrimination, sexual discrimination, discrimination on the basis of disability, infliction of emotional stress, negligence and gross negligence,” per Jared Redding of Inside the Rebels.
Rollins also claimed that Kiffin kicked him off the team for missing practices and meetings during a “mental health crisis.” He was seeking $10 million in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages.
Kiffin and Ole Miss filed a motion for the lawsuit’s dismissal in November.
The former three-star recruit alleged that Kiffin punished him “on account of race for requesting and taking a mental health break, but not taking adverse action against white student-athletes” for similar requests, according to Low.
Rollins also alleged that Kiffin “maliciously, deliberately, intentionally, and in blatant disregard for the rights and health of Rollins verbally assaulted him” during a meeting in February 2023.
That same month, Rollins’ mother called Ole Miss athletic trainer Pat Jernigan to tell him that Rollins was “suffering a mental health crisis.”
Rollins then met with Ole Miss assistant athletic director for sport psychology Josie Nicholson, who “encouraged him to take a step back,” according to Low. The two met again on March 7, and Nicholson told Rollins that Kiffin wanted to meet with him.
The two didn’t meet until March 2023, and in the audio of the meeting, which was legally recorded by Rollins, included in the lawsuit, and obtained by ESPN, Kiffin can be heard telling Rollins, “You’re off the team. You’re done. See ya. Go. And guess what? We can kick you off the team. So go read your f—ing rights about mental health. We can kick you off the team for not showing up.”
Rollins, who has been with Ole Miss since 2020, is still listed on the team’s roster and remained on the roster throughout the legal process. However, he didn’t appear in a single game for the Rebels in 2023.
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