The situation at UAB regarding its softball program has reached a critical turning point as head coach Taylor Smartt will not return to lead the team during the AAC college softball tournament in Greenville. According to BroBible, she is currently on administrative leave while the university conducts an ongoing investigation into a series of serious allegations. This development comes after a difficult season for the Blazers, who finished with a 21-32 record.
While the university has not provided a specific explanation for the sudden move, the scope of the claims surfacing from within the locker room is extensive and deeply concerning. The allegations against Smartt are wide-ranging and include claims of racism, verbal and mental abuse, and potential violations of Title IX and NCAA regulations. Among the most serious accusations is that Smartt and Director of Operations Julie Money engaged in an inappropriate relationship with one of the players on the team.
According to formal complaints, one player reportedly walked in on the head coach, the director of operations, and a teammate in a compromising position on a couch. Furthermore, a complaint suggests that the coach maintained an inappropriately close relationship with a specific player, which allegedly included sleeping at that player’s residence.
A 21-32 season is bad, but these abuse allegations are way worse
The atmosphere within the program appears to have been toxic for a significant amount of time. Auburn Dupree, who played for Smartt during the 2025 season, had her mother, Lindsey Dupree, contact the administration to voice her frustrations. In an email, Lindsey Dupree wrote, “Unfortunately, her senior year became a profoundly distressing experience that has had a lasting impact on her mentally.”
She continued, “Throughout that season, my daughter was repeatedly subjected to what I can only describe as mental and verbal abuse. There were deeply concerning remarks made by Coach Smartt regarding my daughter’s appearance, including racially insensitive comments about her braided hairstyle, which was referred to as ‘jailhouse braids.’ Such comments are unacceptable in any professional or educational setting.”
Auburn Dupree corroborated these claims, noting that her mental health suffered when Smartt told her that teammates had voted her as the moodiest player on the team. Another teammate remarked that the coaching staff made the group believe Dupree was a horrible person. One player stated, “[Smartt] is manipulative and makes you second-guess your worth as a player, a friend, and just as a human.”
Another parent, who chose to remain anonymous, claimed that Smartt instructed her daughter to stop spending time with her “charred” friends. The physical allegations are equally disturbing. A complaint filed with UAB alleges that Smartt punched one of her players twice during a game against East Carolina on March 27, 2026. Such physical escalations by staff are becoming a disturbing trend, similar to how a high school wrestling coach was charged with assault over a simple joke.
Beyond physical violence, there are claims that Smartt would withhold food after losses and failed to provide meals that met the nutritional standards required for Division I athletes. Current team members also described dangerous offseason workouts, including a drill that forced players to push an assistant coach’s 4Runner down to a parking lot while running in front of it. One athlete reportedly tripped and nearly fell under the moving vehicle.
Other players were allegedly forced to tread water until they felt like they were going to die, even though some did not know how to swim. The pressure from the administration began to mount following a series of meetings on April 23 and April 24, where parents met with Athletic Director Mark Ingram, Deputy Athletic Director Dan Carlson, and Compliance Director Katreshia Louis Verrett.
This followed a warning from a top program booster, a retired Army officer, who told Mark Ingram on April 21 that he had “a powder keg with over 20 dynamite sticks about to explode.” Smartt was placed on leave shortly before the end of the regular season. She did travel to Florida to watch UAB play against her former team, FAU, but she reportedly kept her distance and did not stay in the team hotel. Anna Shelnutt has since taken over as the interim head coach.
While entitled to due process, UAB has indicated it will pursue termination if wrongdoing is confirmed. Smartt, a Troy University alumna with a degree in sport and fitness management, spent eight years coaching at her alma mater before moving to Florida Atlantic in 2023. She was named UAB’s sixth head softball coach on August 7, 2024.
After a 24-31 finish in her first season, the 2026 campaign proved to be even more challenging.
Published: May 6, 2026 04:15 pm