Leeiah Davis leaves Fisk University gymnastics team ahead of inaugural meet due to ‘bullying and hazing’
Fisk University’s gymnastics team will take the mat for the first time in a NCAA meet this weekend, but one of its original team members, Leeiah Davis, will not be competing after she announced Friday she has left the team due to “bullying and hazing” against her.
In a statement released on her Instagram, Davis addressed her departure from the team and removed all other posts from her profile, leaving just the media statement.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I am no longer a member of the bulldog gymnastics team and my withdrawal from Fisk University,” Davis said. “I had high expectations of myself and hopes of making a significant impact in the world of gymnastics as a member of the first intercollegiate gymnastics team at any historically black college or university. The irresponsible actions of the administration in not addressing my documented issues of bullying and hazing and has forced me to make my safety and mental health a priority. I wish the team much success in Las Vegas, and I look forward to competing again very soon.”
Davis was removed from the Fisk roster early Friday morning ahead of the team’s first meet in Las Vegas on Friday afternoon.
In an email to GymNow, Fisk head coach and athletic director Corrinne Tarver said, “Fisk University is very excited about the trailblazing women’s gymnastics team and their recent successes. Regarding Leeiah Davis’s withdrawal, this is an internal matter and hence, we cannot comment. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”
