White football coach says mixed marriage got him sacked

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Savannah State University's ex-football coach says in a federal lawsuit that the historically black college forced him to resign...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Savannah State University’s ex-football coach says in a federal lawsuit that the historically black college forced him to resign because he’s white and is engaged to marry a black woman.

Robby Wells’ lawsuit accuses university officials of racial discrimination when they forced Wells out of his job in January, a month after he signed a one-year contract extension as coach.

Wells was hired as Savannah State’s first white football coach in 2007 and coached there for two seasons.

The lawsuit says the college’s vice president of administration told Wells that alumni would never support him because he’s white and that people in Savannah would be unable to accept Wells’ engagement to a black woman.

University spokeswoman Loretta Heyward said Savannah State had no immediate comment on the suit Friday.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

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