Former tennis player sues ISU for discrimination

A former tennis player at ISU, Orin Duffin is suing Idaho State University for discrimination against his faith.

Duffin has filed a complaint stating the discrimination stemmed from his tennis teammates and his coach.

According to courts records, Duffin attended ISU’s Fall semester in 2014. The records state the discrimination didn’t start until December of 2014, and Duffin started to feel he was being treated differently because of his Mormon beliefs.

In March of 2015, Duffin and his team visited Las Vegas for a tennis tournament. On one occasion at his hotel room, women showed up at his door, who were either prostitutes or strippers according to the complaint Duffin filed. He sent them away, but Duffin claims that his coach and teammates had ordered the girls to show up at his door to test the conviction of his faith.

In April of 2015, there were tennis matches in Sacramento, where Duffin claims he was injured and needed to serve underhand as a result. And the coach decided to forfeit his matches, resulting with the team losing the tournament. Duffin says this was harassment for not playing while hurt.

Throughout the rest of April and May of 2015, an investigation started at ISU with witnesses and meetings.

In July of 2015, Duffin’s coach, Bobby Goeltz, resigned in lieu of his termination.

Duffin is currently serving a mission currently, while his attorneys say they have 120 days from May 20, 2016 to serve ISU with this complaint. From there, the case can begin at a federal court.

Duffin says he refuses to return to the tennis team.