(WatchDogReport.org) – A viral video that appears to show a baseball player from Valdosta State University being banned from the team by his coach due to the length of his hair has led to an investigation. The video was posted to TikTok with the caption, “Valdosta state university 2023 or 1945,” by former Valdosta State University baseball player Asher Akridge.
In the video, the voice of what is presumed to be Greg Guilliams, head coach of the Valdosta State University baseball team, is heard telling the player he can’t play because of his hairstyle. The player is then heard telling the coach that the rule was to “have your hair under a certain length.” The player argues that he is in compliance with the regulation. However, the coach continues to claim the player must cut his hair to play.
In the video, the coach admits he “failed” to communicate the rules to the player properly. He stated that in the beginning, he should have said, “This is what you’ve got to do with your hair” before you’re allowed to play. The coach added, “I didn’t do that.”
The coach then shuts down the player when he attempts to point to issues with the length of other players’ hair. The coach stated that he was “the head coach” and added that they weren’t going to discuss other players. When the player contested the point, stating that his hair had been cut, the coach declared, “It’s not short enough to be on the baseball team.”
In 2022, Akridge played his freshman season at Jacksonville State University before transferring to Valdosta State University in Georgia.
On Aug. 24, the Office of Human Resources at Valdosta State University announced it was conducting an investigation into the matter and “will address any personnel actions” if it reveals that university policies were violated.
On TikTok, the video had been viewed more than 440,000 times as of Aug. 24.
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