Some of Eden Prairie's boys basketball players who quit the team this season sat in the bleachers during the first game of a section tournament Wednesday, as they and their families urged the school district to do more to address a coach's use of a racial slur in December.
Boys basketball coach David Flom was suspended from coaching for a month in December over his reading of the slur in a social media post as he talked to players about social media. Since his reinstatement in January, some players of color have quit the team. Their families have hired a lawyer who is alleging Flom's language made the basketball team hostile to Black players. The former players and their families sat in the bleachers at Wednesday's home game against Prior Lake. One mother held a sign reading, "Do you inspire each? No."
Watching the game when he wanted to be playing was hard for 11th-grader Tyler Nduulu, he said.
"It's not the best feeling, but you have to stand up for what you believe in," he said Wednesday.
Camren Riggins-Brown, a Black 10th-grader who quit the team, said last week the problem was bigger than one slur.
"There are so many minor things that don't get spoken about," he said. "No one knows about the bigger picture."
Flom has said he regrets using the slur and knows he hurt the players.
"I know the harm I have caused," Flom said in January. "I'd love to be part of any discussions going forward, from an education standpoint and for my own learning."
Flom has been with the Eden Prairie school district since 2006, as boys basketball coach and as an elementary school teacher. He was named National High School Coaches Association's Coach of the Year in 2020.
Prior Lake defeated Eden Prairie 69-64 Wednesday night, ending the team's season with an 11-14 record.
Flom was reinstated in January without fanfare or explanation from the school district. In a statement, the Eden Prairie district declined to comment on any possible lawsuit or personnel matters.
"Right now, our focus is on supporting students through the end of the season," the statement read. "Our primary goal in everything is ensuring we're fulfilling our mission of inspiring each student every day — whether that's on or off the court — and that means we need to continuously listen to multiple perspectives and think holistically about how to best serve students in the program."
Riggins-Brown's mother, Jonika Riggins, said she supported her son's decision to leave the team.
"There's a fine line between teaching my son to work through adversity, and standing up for what you believe," she said.
She did not understand why the district's inquiry into Flom's conduct did not include talking to her son, and felt there has been little effort to understand the impact on the players of color.
Some of the players' parents have retained attorney William Walker, who has represented families with disputes against schools.
Walker said he requested a meeting with district officials for the families in February. In a letter to attorneys representing the school district, he called for the district to not renew Flom's contract.
While Walker has said the families do not want to take the district to court, he said a lawsuit over a discriminatory environment on the basketball team is a possibility.
Nduulu said he did not want Flom to continue coaching for the sake of future players.
"I hope the new generation of players don't have to go through what we went through."
Staff writer Louis Krauss contributed to this report.
