According multiple reports, including one from Tony Paul of The Detroit News, D3 Albion College head men’s basketball coach Jody May “has served a multi-game suspension after players allege he used a racial slur multiple times during a practice last month men’s basketball players.”

May returned to the sidelines for Saturday’s game, but in response, “ten of the 16 varsity players decided to not participate in Saturday’s game in protest of May’s actions and how the college responded to the situation” according to WOOD-TV 8‘s Marlee Weirda.

The alleged incident occurred during practice on December 28th. According to both reports, A player who wants to remain anonymous said May kicked a Black player out of practice for saying, “Give me that (expletive), (N-word)” to another Black teammate during a drill.

Throughout practice, May proceeded to give his reasoning for kicking the player out of practice, and players say he repeated the slur four times.

“I really didn’t feel comfortable practicing anymore,” a player said. “I was in disbelief that he could say those words to me as a Black male.”

Weirda’s story reports that before Albion’s game last Wednesday vs Calvin, the team met with Interim President Joe Calvaruso and Dean ​Leroy Wright to discuss May’s actions. According to Weirda, a player said the administrators used the phrase, “You need to rip off the band-aid,” and felt they were pressured to “heal faster.” The ten players then decided to sit out Saturday’s game when they learned that May was returning to the bench.

Weirda also reports that an anonymous player said “the guys that did play support us. They just wanted to play basketball. If nobody would have played, our president was planning on canceling our season.”

Assistant coach Nate Frisbie had been coaching the team during May’s absence.

More on this story as it continues to develop.