Feb 23, 2007  |  By: ELIZABETH A. PERRY  | COMMENTS     

A former Penn State University basketball player has settled a lawsuit against the women’s basketball head coach; the terms were not disclosed.

Jennifer Harris, in a lawsuit filed in December 2005, accused coach Rene Portland of “humiliating, berating and ostracizing her” and claimed she was told she needed to look “more feminine.” Harris, who says she’s not gay, also claimed Portland tried to force her to leave the team.

Portland, athletic director Tim Curley and Penn State University spokesperson Bill Mahon declined to be interviewed for this story but issued a statement saying they had reached an “amicable settlement” of the case.

Harris, who now plays basketball for James Madison University, also declined to be interviewed but said in a statement that she is “proud to have brought the case” and “thrilled to have been able to resolve it.”

Recent ankle surgery could keep Harris from playing ball the rest of this season, the AP reported.

In her complaint, Harris said Portland discriminated against her and other players on the basis of race, gender and perceived sexual orientation. The document also referred to Portland’s discriminatory policy as “no drinking, no drugs, no lesbians.”

Harris filed the lawsuit two months after filing a complaint. She amended the suit in May 2006, adding defamation charges against Portland.

The university conducted an internal investigation and in April 2006 concluded that Portland had discriminated against Harris by creating a “hostile, intimidating and offensive environment because of Harris’ perceived sexual orientation.” Penn State levied a $10,000 fine against Portland and issued a written reprimand, warning her that she would be dismissed if the discriminatory behavior continued. She was also ordered to undergo diversity training.

Harris was a star athlete at Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg, Pa., where she accrued 2,191 points as a member of the girls’ basketball team. She was also recognized as an “All American” player on a number of national honorary team rosters.

From the time she was in junior high, she was on the radar of a number of colleges and universities. When she was a high school senior she was recruited by Portland to play basketball for Penn State on a full scholarship and enrolled in September 2003.

The lawsuit cited figures from Associated Press polls showing some impressive statistics for the team under Portland’s 25-year tenure. The university finished in the Top 25 Division I Women’s basketball teams 19 times, with 17 winning seasons under the direction of Portland. The team participated in the NCAA tournament in 21 out of 24 years and went to the final four in 2000.

Karen Doering, senior counsel with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, defended Harris. She said Harris wanted to take a stand against discrimination so no one else would have to go through what she did. In a statement in response to Penn State’s internal investigation of the matter, Doering said other players were also affected by Portland’s homophobic stance, but stayed quiet for fear of losing their athletic scholarships.

“The courage and bravery of Harris finally has exposed Rene Portland’s reign of terror,” Doering said. “I’ve spoken directly with a number of women who played for coach Portland over the past three decades and who were traumatized by her anti-lesbian policy.”

Last spring USA Today published names and quoted the experiences of five former Penn State University women’s basketball players who had run-ins with Portland. The incidents reportedly took place between 1982 and 2005.

While some who have followed the case are disappointed that Portland is being allowed to remain in her coaching position, Doering said the outcome would have been the same whether the case went to trial or was settled.

“The court won’t order an employer to fire someone,” she said. “If Jennifer Harris was still at Penn State, they could have ordered injunctive remedy training for the coach. The idea is to put steps in to help ensure discrimination does not occur in the future.”