Jefferson said the school alleges she was removed from the team because she defies authority and has anger issues, according to the Kansas City Star. Jefferson claimed she had no misconduct issues at the university.

Anyways, I love my braids, I love my hair and my lil sis snapped on every set of braids she’s done on me???? @Tyce52729585 (and she only 17 snappin like this!) pic.twitter.com/G8AM6ybXsh

— Tal???? (@talynjefferson) January 23, 2021

Scott Albright, a spokesperson for the university, referred to the incident as “regrettable,” and confirmed the matter was being investigated by officials. He declined to discuss specific details, citing restrictions due to student privacy and confidentiality laws.

University President Reggies Wenyika expressed that he's worried about the "narrative" being shared about the event on social media. He said that university officials have talked with Jefferson, other witnesses and evaluated video footage from the incident.

“The university recognizes that incidents of this nature can inflame passions, which can potentially lead to erroneous things being said or written,” Wenyika said. “However the targeting personal attacks and false and misleading information currently being circulated on social media are unfortunate.”

Following the case’s developments, Jefferson revealed that she's looking at other universities to pursue her degree.

Black hair and Black hairstyles have been at the center of discrimination lawsuits across the country.

Sen. Cory Booker introduced a federal CROWN Act in 2019 following a similar bill being passed in California through Sen. Holly J. Mitchell’s efforts, as Blavity previously reported. The Kansas City City Council voted unanimously in October to enact the CROWN Act, which includes hairstyle and texture in the city’s definition of racial discrimination, The National Law Review reports.

Ottawa-University

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