A former assistant cheerleading coach at Ohio State has sued the university after she says she was discriminated against and wrongfully terminated in 2024.
The case, filed March 14 in federal court, said Siobhan St. John, of Columbus, has been an outspoken advocate for African-American athletic department employees, particularly women. St. John is Black.
The suit said she has talked extensively about the under-representation of Black women in senior management positions.
The case said St. John served for several years on the Buckeye Inclusion Committee, which was formed to improve upward employment mobility of Black employees within Ohio State's athletic department.
The suit claimed that only two of the 38 varsity team head coaches from 2020 to 2022 were Black, and both were men. It also said that during that same time, only one Black man worked in a director's position in the athletic department.
The lawsuit alleged St. John was subjected to discrimination and harassment by her supervisors because of her stance.
Head cheerleading coach Benjamin Schreiber and sports administrator Carey Hoyt are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
St. John worked for the university for 10 years until she was terminated in July 2024.
Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson said in an emailed statement that the university does not comment on pending litigation.