Softball Player: LU violated faith

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Beaumont, Texas- An incident that led to a complaint by Lamar University softball’s former starting catcher was not handled properly, athletic director Marco Born wrote in a letter to the student last week, five days after head coach Holly Bruder was placed on administrative leave.

Paige Holmes, who is no longer listed on Lamar’s softball roster, alleged a member of the coaching staff forced her to violate her religious beliefs during a road trip to Northwestern State in Louisiana in March.

In Born’s letter, which Holmes’ father, Tim Holmes, said was sent by email to his daughter from the athletic director’s Lamar address last Wednesday, Born wrote, “(I) am prepared to state that our university could and should have done a better job of respecting your expression of your faith.”

Tim Holmes said Born’s email was in response to a demand letter his daughter sent to Lamar president Kenneth Evans on April 27, the same day Bruder was placed on administrative leave “pending an investigation into a violation of university policy.”

Bruder has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

The university declined on Friday to comment about the specifics of Holmes’ complaint.

Paige Holmes declined to comment last week, but her father provided several documents to The Enterprise, including his daughter’s complaint and the email from Born.

Lamar has not released any details about Bruder’s suspension. The assistant coach named in Holmes’ complaint has remained on the job since the Northwestern State trip.

Holmes started 22 of Lamar’s first 23 games this season. She appeared in seven of the Lady Cardinals’ final 33 regular-season games, after the alleged incident on Friday, March 9.

Lamar softball’s season ended on Saturday following a weekend sweep by Nicholls.

“While I cannot undo past events, I can tell you that future events will reinforce my ongoing commitment to create an educational environment in which each student athlete feels valued and respected,” Born wrote last week to Holmes, who is Roman Catholic. “I deeply regret that our university failed to provide such an environment for you in our handling of this incident.”
In a written complaint Holmes’ father said his daughter sent to Terry Mena, associate vice president of student engagement and dean of students, on April 8, the player said a Lamar coach forced her to eat meat on Friday during her observance of Lent.
The team ordered pregame meals from Subway, but Holmes’ tuna salad never arrived, according to her April 8 complaint.
Holmes volunteered to eat food she had in her hotel room but was told she had to eat half a chicken sandwich, according to her complaint.
Reached for comment Saturday, Mena referred questions to the university’s public affairs office.
Born, in his letter to Holmes last week, said he believed the assistant coach “did not intend any ill will or have malicious intent to you” but admitted she wasn’t sensitive to Holmes’ religious beliefs.

“It is my opinion that the university representative, who discussed the meal issue with you, should have either honored your request to snack on alternate food you had in your possession or control, or secured alternate food for you that did not contravene your religious practices,” Born wrote.

Holmes said in the complaint that in the days after the incident she tried unsuccessfully several times to set up a meeting with Bruder.

The following Monday, she called Lamar’s then-interim athletic director, Norman Bellard, because she had not heard from Bruder, she wrote in her complaint.

Holmes said she received a call from Bruder after speaking with Bellard and they set up a meeting for the following morning, according to the complaint.

Holmes said in the complaint that she felt uncomfortable at the meeting, which included

Bruder and another official, whom Holmes did not identify.

Bruder “brought up twice removing me from the team” during the meeting, Holmes alleged in the complaint.

Two days later, Holmes said Bruder pulled her aside before the team’s road trip to Houston Baptist and told her “that it would be a conflict of interest for me to be on the team,” Holmes said in the complaint.

Holmes started all three games against Houston Baptist, her last significant playing time of the season.

After the Houston Baptist series, Holmes said the Lamar coaching staff stopped communicating with her, she alleged in her complaint.

“They are trying to make it a hostile environment that I do not want to be in – much less one that allows freedom of religion,” Holmes wrote about the coaching staff in her complaint.
At the end of Holmes’ complaint, she said Lamar’s coaching staff should be removed.

“Coaches that do not understand the importance of the civil liberties granted to us, including religious freedom, and are allowed to maintain such a hostile environment should not be working with college athletes.”

Holmes wrote in the complaint that if the coaching staff wasn’t replaced, she would leave the team.

Two weeks later, on April 23, Holmes and Born signed an agreement that “Ms. Holmes will no longer be a member of the Lamar University softball team.”

According to the agreement, which Holmes’ father provided to The Enterprise, Holmes keeps her scholarship for the fall 2018 and spring 2019 semesters if she remains academically eligible.

Holmes’ father said a few days later his daughter reconsidered signing the agreement and on April 27 sent the letter to Evans.

In the letter, which Tim Holmes also provided, she demanded compensation in the amount of her four-year scholarship, termination of the Lamar softball coaching staff and a public apology from Lamar to keep her from filing a civil liberties lawsuit against the university.

Born, in his May 2 letter to Holmes, offered to let Holmes return to the Lamar softball team.

“In an effort to help you move in a positive, forward path, our university is willing to reinstate you on the women’s softball team and reinstate your athletic scholarship,” Born wrote.

Holmes’ father said his daughter does not consider that an option.

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