The rivalry matchup between Tuskegee and Morehouse on Saturday was supposed to end like any other hard-fought HBCU battle, with a handshake and both teams moving on. But it ended with Tuskegee head coach Benjy Taylor being placed in handcuffs by police.

As per reports, the incident unfolded immediately after the final buzzer, as both teams gathered at midcourt to shake hands. But according to coach Taylor, what should have been a routine postgame exchange quickly turned into something far more tense.

Speaking in a statement shared by Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Taylor revealed that he was trying to prevent Morehouse football players from entering the handshake line alongside the basketball teams.

“I am at a loss for words, and I am upset about how I was violated and treated today. For my players, my family, and people of Tuskegee to witness that is heartbreaking for me. I was simply trying to get the football team out of the handshake line as they were following right behind me, and the team yelling obscenities! It was a very dangerous situation.”

However, reports indicate that the security officer involved claimed that Taylor was “very aggressive” and described him as the aggressor, which ultimately led to the decision to detain him.

Despite the chaos, Benjy Taylor was later released and traveled back with the team following the game.

But this doesn’t define his time as a coach. Taylor has built a long coaching résumé across multiple levels of college basketball, where he served as a head coach at several programs, including stints at North Central College and Chicago State, where he gained Division I experience.

Now, since 2019, Taylor has been leading Tuskegee in the SIAC, where he has compiled a strong record and established himself as one of the conference’s more consistent coaches, with the Golden Tigers regularly competing near the top of the standings.

As more details about the incident continue to emerge, Tuskegee athletic director Reginald Ruffin also stepped forward to provide additional context on the chaotic scene, explaining what he believes went wrong with postgame security and why the situation escalated so quickly.

Tuskegee AD Reginald Ruffin Calls Benjy Taylor’s Incident a “Security Breach”

After the incident went viral, Tuskegee athletic director Reginald Ruffin also offered more insight into what led to Benjy Taylor’s shocking detainment. And he believes the shocking moment involving head coach Benjy Taylor stemmed from a breakdown in postgame security procedures, not misconduct from his coach.

After Morehouse’s 77–69 win, Ruffin explained to HBCU Gameday that the tension began when Morehouse football players reportedly entered the basketball handshake line, something he described as a clear violation of conference-mandated protocol.

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“You don’t do that… that’s a security breach,” Ruffin said, stressing that such measures are meant to protect players, coaches, officials, and spectators in emotionally charged rivalry settings.

According to Ruffin, Taylor simply requested help from security in removing the football players from the line.

“He asked the security officer, ‘Can you please remove them from the line?’ That’s what he asked,” Ruffin said.

As more details emerge, the focus for now will be whether conference officials will address what went wrong and how future rivalry games can avoid another scene like this.