Valdosta State University has released a statement following the conclusion of the institution’s investigation into former Jackson State baseball player Asher Akridge who transferred to Valdosta State and was forced to cut his hair.

The full statement is below:

In response to a video posted online on or around Aug. 22, 2023, Valdosta State University (VSU) initiated an investigation into allegations of racial discrimination and harassment against its current head baseball coach. The investigation was conducted over a five-week period by a committee led by VSU’s Office of Human Resources.

The investigation is now complete, and the committee’s findings are as follows:

  1.   The coach initiated a team hair-length policy that was inconsistently applied to team members.
  2.   Student-athletes of various races were allowed at times to remain non-compliant with the hair-length policy, including for months at a time. The committee did not find that one race was adversely impacted more than another.
  3.   The committee did not find that VSU’s head baseball coach targeted any one athlete when implementing the policy.
  4.   Based on these findings, the allegations of racial discrimination and harassment were not substantiated.
  5. Two violations of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia’s Code of Conduct (Policy 8.2.18.1.4) were substantiated, including (1) the requirement to act as a good steward of VSU’s resources and information entrusted to its care and (2) to treat fellow employees, students, and the public with dignity and respect.

As the result of these findings, several recommendations were made and are in the process of being implemented.

These recommendations include, but are not limited to:

  1.   The student-athlete will be invited to rejoin the baseball team.
  2.   The hair-length policy will be reviewed by VSU’s Athletics Department.
  3.   The head baseball coach will be required to participate in training focused on interpersonal and multi-generational communication, leadership, and conflict management.

VSU is a special place for all students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and it was critical that this investigation be given the time and attention it deserved. President Richard Carvajal and the VSU leadership team remain dedicated to maintaining a fair, respectful, and non-discriminatory environment for all, and that work will continue.

On August 22nd, a former baseball player from Jackson State named Asher Akridge shared a video. In the video, Akridge talks to a coach about a rule on the team. The rule is about how long players’ hair can be. Akridge says he followed the rule, but the coach disagrees. Akridge also mentions that other players don’t have to follow the same rule for their hair.

“My hair is cut. I don’t know why we’re having this conversation,” Akridge says in the middle of the video.

“It’s not short enough to be on the baseball team,” the coach replies.

Akridge responds in disbelief at the assertion asking how is it possible that he didn’t cut his hair. The coach responded, “I’m the one that sets the rules. I can set whatever rule I want.”

The coach later says, “There’s no wild force that could allow me to put you back on this baseball team. There’s no way. It ain’t gonna happen.”

The video went viral on TikTok and it eventually made its way over to other high-traffic social media and video-sharing applications such as Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Upon the video going viral Valdosta State announced that they were launching an investigation.

The full findings of the investigation are linked here.