A petition calling for the removal of college basketball star Sedona Prince from the TCU women’s basketball team has garnered almost 200,000 signatures following the social media circulation of abuse allegations against her.
The controversy began when Prince’s ex-girlfriend, Olivia Stabile, published a 10-part video series Aug. 13 on TikTok accusing Prince of physical and emotional abuse while they were dating. Stabile’s accusations went viral and change.org user Leah Cohen started a petition Aug. 14 to “hold Sedona Prince accountable” and remove her from the TCU basketball team. As of Tuesday, it had 187,537 signatures and multiple videos of people voicing their support.
“As an individual who has personally experienced the deep pain caused by abuse, it breaks my heart to see a known domestic abuser maintain a place of respect within our society, essentially being shielded by a reputable university,” Cohen wrote on change.org. “We firmly believe that allegations of such grave misconduct should be taken seriously and addressed urgently.”
A spokesperson for TCU Athletics did not immediately respond to a request from USA TODAY asking if Prince is still an active member of the team. However, Prince remains listed on TCU’s official roster and a school spokesperson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in August that her “status as an active member on the team is intact.”
USA TODAY has also reached out to Stabile for comment on the petition.
Prince denied Stabile’s abuse accusations in a video uploaded to her TikTok account Sept. 1.
“I have never abused anybody in my life,” Prince said. “That’s not who I am. That’s not what I do. That’s not what I stand for. I’ve never abused anybody emotionally, physically, mentally, verbally. That’s not me, and that’s not what I’ve done. That’s not who I am. Now, in saying that though, I know that I have not been the best partner, and I take accountability for that. I have not been a great girlfriend at times and I have fallen short so many times in my relationships.
“I wanted to be the best partner that I could be. I just didn’t have the right tools at the time, and I wasn’t that complete person that I thought that I was. And to my ex-girlfriends, I genuinely am sorry. I really am.”
Prince also said her parents have received death threats as a result of the allegations.
“It’s cruel, it’s wrong and it’s not the way that we should hold each other accountable,” Prince said. “It’s just not right.”Prince is one of the most prominent figures in women’s college hoops. In 2021, her social media post calling out the NCAA for March Madness inequities went viral and sparked a firestorm. She is a plaintiff in a major lawsuit against the NCAA, and expected to be a key piece in the Horned Frogs’ push this season to make their first NCAA tournament since 2010.
