The parents of a multisport athlete at Fort Myers High School in Florida filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Wednesday, saying their son faced racial harassment, discrimination and retaliation and that the school's athletic department and school district "tolerated a discriminatory and racially hostile" educational environment.
The suit, filed by former MLB player Michael Tucker and his wife, Azuree'd Tucker, on behalf of their son -- identified as "M.T." in the filing -- claims "a disturbing narrative of bias and exclusion within the School District's Fort Myers High School and its sports program" against their son. Madrid Tucker, 16, is a top baseball prospect in the state.
According to the filing, Tucker, "an African American student-athlete, encountered numerous obstacles solely based on his race." The lawsuit alleges Tucker "experienced and suffered from discriminatory practices in team selection, coaching decisions and disciplinary action as well as unlawful retaliation against M.T. and his parents for asserting their rights."
The suit comes one year after an assistant baseball coach at Fort Myers High School posted a message on a team group chat wishing a "Happy Valentine's Day" followed by a racial slur. The assistant coach was fired, and the incident prompted a Title VI investigation that eventually led to the head coach also being removed from his coaching position. The coach's removal sparked a walkout by most of the team's players during an April 6 game. The player walkout touched off a shouting match among parents of the same team, some of whom said the two players of color on the team weren't aware of the plan to stage an in-game walkout on their own team.
The Tuckers' son was one of the two players on the team who said they were not told of the plan to walk out in protest.
The school canceled the rest of the school's baseball season, and the Florida High School Athletic Association fined the school for forfeiting its season.
The Tuckers' lawsuit against the Lee County (Florida) School District, Fort Myers High School and several school officials, was filed in the Middle District of Florida. It seeks damages plus a requirement that defendants, including the school district, "adopt policies, procedures and training."
Michael Tucker was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the 10th overall pick in the 1992 amateur draft. He played for seven teams over 12 seasons in the major leagues, retiring in 2006. A top prospect, Madrid Tucker was selected to play in the MLB's Hank Aaron Invitational in 2022 and 2023, and has received baseball scholarship offers from several Division I schools.
ESPN producer Nicole Noren contributed to this report.