Former USF employee files discrimination lawsuit against USF

TAMPA - A former African-American University of South Florida employee who was fired from her job filed a discrimination suit against the university on Thursday.

Myrtice Landers, 52, who had been employed at USF since 1981, claims she was terminated ten months shy of retirement because of her race and an athletic department cover-up involving NCAA violations.

Landers became an academic adviser in the athletic department program in 2004.

Landers said that part of her job was to "gather and deliver" textbooks to men and women student-athletes on basketball and tennis scholarships.

In January, Landers said she helped a new women's basketball player get her books. Landers then learned the athlete was not on scholarship. The books were returned in June.

Landers went on to write in her complaint that after an investigation, the athletic department determined she had committed a secondary NCAA violation.

In the complaint, Landers also wrote that the University placed her on administrative leave July 15th and escorted her out of the building.

Landers said the university terminated her on August 2nd, denying her an opportunity to take another job at the University, despite being so close to the end of her career.

"I am aware of numerous other situations involving white academic advisers, including my supervisor, that have given books either intentionally or mistakenly to non-scholarship student athletes without incident," Landers wrote.

Wil Florin, who represents former USF Football Coach Jim Leavittt in his wrongful termination lawsuit against the school, is also representing Landers.