Put On Leave, Coach Michael Lotief Fighting For Equity

Put On Leave, Coach Michael Lotief Fighting For Equity

Put On Leave, Coach Michael Lotief Fighting For Gender Equity

Oct 21, 2017 by FloSoftball Staff
Put On Leave, Coach Michael Lotief Fighting For Equity
Michael Lotief says he cannot talk publicly about what's going on between him and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. But the long-time Ragin' Cajuns softball coach has plenty to say about what he feels is discrimination based on gender in the sport.

Lotief was placed on administrative leave by the school October 6. His attorney John E. McElligott Jr. said at the time that the decision came after a "passionate conversation about gender equity" between Lotief and university personnel. 

"Coach Lotief raised simple issues like getting the grass cut, making sure students have an athletic trainer at practice, making sure the assistant coaches get paid, and ensuring female athletes get a functional assessment before doing weight training," McElligott said.

Lotief told FloSoftball on Friday that the school told him his leave would be somewhere between two weeks and 30 days. He has been head coach of Louisiana-Lafayette softball for 14 years. The Ragin' Cajuns have been to three Women's College World Series, seven NCAA Super Regionals, and 14 NCAA regionals in his highly successful tenure.

"What is going on between me and the University as far as the administrative leave is a private matter that I cannot discuss at this time," Lotief told FloSoftball in an interview conducted via text message. "But what I can discuss is there are a lot of young coaches out there and female athletes in our sport who get disrespected or excluded or treated differently because of their gender. We should ALL be in agreement that there is NO PLACE FOR DISCRIMINATION of any kind - but in this instance, it is gender discrimination in SOFTBALL. Sports can often be a platform to focus our attention on hot topics like Equality & Inclusion & Unity & Acceptance. We've come a long way in our sport but we must continue to have the courage to fight to end discrimination and to end the stereotypes. We need greater EMPATHY and compassion for each other and always choose inclusion and fairness and unity over discrimination & retaliation and division. This is a fight for OUR SOULS - I remain hopeful that we shall overcome."

Lotief said he has been in touch with his players and they are fully aware of what is going on. Per a Louisiana-Lafayette statement issued October 6 announcing what the school deemed a  "leave of absence," assistant coach Chris Malveaux is currently at the helm of the program. Lotief's daughter, Chelsea, is a sophomore outfielder on the team. 

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"I love my players, they are MY FAMILY," Lotief said. "I'm not fighting for a pay raise for me - I'm fighting so they get respect for what great people they are. Yes, they are awesome athletes on the field but they are even better people in the classroom and in our community. Some things transcend softball and our personal relationships and our empathy and compassion for each other's struggles always comes first. This is most difficult on them. They are struggling to make sense of this. I try to be there for them EVERYDAY and try to make sure they keep the right perspective and understand what the fight for equality and respect really means. I want them to stay positive and be strong just like it's the World Series finals. We have to be there for each other and we have to stay focused and no matter the outcome, we stay committed to our dreams and our purpose."

Lotief said he was unable to discuss what school officials were part of the conversation that McElligott alluded to, nor could he say what the discussion was about specifically. He reiterated that some of the remedies relating to better treatment of softball were "simple."

"Most people think of Title IX as 'whining' or 'comparing' this to that or 'they got this, so we should get this,'" Lotief said. "That's not the argument. Most times it is not even that complicated. It is simple, basic stuff like cut the grass; or bring clean water each day; or make sure they get competent trainers for their health needs or make sure the strength coach actually knows what a windmill pitch is or maybe has even been to a game or two. 

"Windmill is becoming exceedingly popular and more and more of our daughters are finding it to be an enjoyable extracurricular activity where they can learn to compete and also learn how to grow into strong, confident women who can handle struggle and adversity. So I don't think it is asking too much that the support personnel involved in SOFTBALL actually have some basic understanding of our sport and the skills and the movements and specialization, and yes, even the differences, that are required for our female athletes to become ELITE. They ought to be treated as 'ELITE ATHLETES' and we should provide them with all the tools necessary to become the best of the best."

A request for comment sent to the Louisiana-Lafayette athletic department was not returned to FloSoftball on Friday.

By Marc Raimondi