Georgia college baseball coach Greg Guilliams kicks player Asher Akridge off team for his long hair

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• Woman dead in domestic incident outside of Metro Atlanta supermarket, police say
• Where things stand with Georgia football prospects entering day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft
• Valdosta State releases findings of investigation into player forced to cut hair
• ABC 7 News at 11
• Upstate NY DA refuses to stop for speeding, drives back home and calls police chief to complain: video
• The university said it is conducting an investigation into the matter
• Day 3 pick vows to ‘make teams pay’ for not drafting him
• Bucks get bad news on Damian Lillard

"VSU is aware of this video and is currently reviewing the situation," according to a statement released by Valdosta State University. As of Friday morning, the video has been viewed nearly 470,000 times on TikTok. Valdosta State issued a statement confirming it’s looking into the video. Neither Guilliams nor any of the baseball coaching staff, athletics directors, or Valdosta State University administration immediately returned The Daily Beast’s multiple requests for comment Thursday. “Are you a college that allows the ‘Head Coach’ of your Baseball team to openly discriminate against players? ” a Facebook user commented on an unrelated post on Valdosta’s page.

Woman dead in domestic incident outside of Metro Atlanta supermarket, police say

“The rule was to have your hair under a certain length,” the unknown player stated. As discussions about this incident continue, it remains crucial for institutions and lawmakers to address these concerns through comprehensive and inclusive policies that promote equality and respect for all individuals, regardless of their hair choices. According to WCTV, the university released a statement once the investigation had reached its conclusion. At the end of the video, Akridge shared a photo of himself in a car with his hair just below his ears, followed by a white pitcher for Valdosta whose hair appears to be flowing down past his collar. "The rule was to have your hair under a certain length," the unknown player stated. I don't know why we're having this conversation,” Akridge says in the middle of the video.

Where things stand with Georgia football prospects entering day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft

A video of an apparent conversation between a Valdosta State University baseball player and his head coach is making its rounds across social media. “The VSU Office of Human Resources is conducting a comprehensive inquiry into the current matter and will address any personnel actions that are deemed to violate university policy if the inquiry reveals anything,” the statement read. Though the judge investigated the university for five weeks, it was determined the allegations against Coach Gulliams were inconsistent. What was found, however, was that the coach applied the team hair length policy not to every player, and, in fact, certain students of various racial backgrounds were allowed to skirt the policy for months at a time.

Valdosta State releases findings of investigation into player forced to cut hair

Has a paragraph tirade on their timeline somewhere complaining about wearing a mask. One Twitter user in particular compared the hair lengths of this black athlete who was denied an opportunity, with a white athlete in the team. Although this act aims to combat hair discrimination, Georgia, where the university is located, has yet to implement it. The lack of protection underlines the urgency of enforcing such laws. Hair discrimination is not a new issue, and its impact goes beyond personal appearance.

ABC 7 News at 11

The student will be invited to rejoin the baseball team and a review on the hair-length policy will be initiated by the VSU Athletic Department, the VSU report said. A video that has been circulating on social media over the past 24 hours has now caught the attention of Valdosta State university officials. The video first made its way to social media after being posted by former player Asher Akridge. "VSU is aware of a viral video and is currently reviewing the situation," the university's account replied in the comments section on Instagram. The head coach wasn’t there, but we did see several other players with long hair — both White and Black players.

After the coach admits that he didn’t adequately explain the policy, the player then attempted to point out that other players seem to have longer hair but are allowed to play on the team, but the coach did not allow for that discussion. “I’m the one that sets the rules, I can set whatever rule I want,” Guilliams says. He attempts to point out “discrepancies” in Guilliams’ policy as other players also had long hair and weren’t kicked off the team, but the coach quickly shoots it down. Hair discrimination is still a hot-button issue in the U.S., and laws were passed in various states to combat this matter. From schools to workplaces, Black individuals consistently experience hair discrimination. Nearly two dozen states passed the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act to tackle such bias.

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The university said it is conducting an investigation into the matter

Social media users rushed to the comments to explain what they considered racially biased unequal treatment. Earlier this week, the university responded to a string of comments about the incident in a post advertising the school ahead of the upcoming academic year. Social media commenting has included accusations of racism and unequal treatment of the player in question.

The TikTok bears the watermark, asherthegreat24 and is posted to his account with the hashtag, #valdostastateuniversity. Captions with the video include "Valdosta state university 2023 or 1945." Guilliams ends the conversation and tells Akridge there’s nothing that could put him back on the baseball team. In a TikTok video posted Tuesday by Asher Akridge, the athlete can be heard conversing with Valdosta State University Baseball Head Coach Greg Guilliams. "If you want to be treated like everyone else, then follow the rules I give you," the head coach is heard saying. Asher, who is black, repeatedly asked the head coach, who is white, why he's making this decision, to which the head coach does not budge.

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“What I should’ve said in the beginning was, ‘This is what you gotta do with your hair. And then once you do that, I’ll let you come out there,’” Guilliams responds, supposedly blaming himself for not explaining the rules better. Akridge explains to the coach about his interpretation of a hair grooming rule having to be under a certain length and how he would keep his hair tied up. 🚨 Get viral graphics, memes, rumors and trending sports news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter. We will now wait to see what the investigation finds and if the coach will face any type of punishment for the incident. The school issued a statement on Thursday evening announcing they've opened an inquiry into the matter.

Captured on camera, this anonymous athlete accuses the head coach of preventing him from playing due to his dreadlocks. The recording seems to have first been posted to TikTok and has spread to several social media sites since. The person, who is unseen but is said to be a white coach, tells VSU baseball player Asher Akridge, who is Black, that his hair is not in compliance to play for the team. In less than 24 hours, the video went viral with over 22,000 likes and over 4,000 comments. But a source on the baseball team told WALB the video is of VSU’s Head Baseball Coach Greg Guilliams speaking with former player Asher Akridge.

In the leaked video, the unidentified player alleged the coach banned him from being a member of the university's baseball team solely due to the length of his natural hair. VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - Valdosta State University says it’s investigating a now-viral recorded conversation between the head baseball coach and a former player. “We’re not talking about other players on the team…We’re not going down that route. The Valdosta State baseball player’s confrontation with the coach over hair length brings attention to the ongoing issue of hair discrimination.

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. A former Valdosta State University employee and 2004 national championship football team member was upset by the dialogue in the viral video.