FIU women’s basketball team captain Destini Feagin claims first-year women's basketball head coach Marlin Chinn has been pursuing a sexual relationship with her much of the season.
Feagin told The Herald she’s reported Chinn to FIU’s athletics administration, that she filed an NCAA complaint and that she unknowingly participated in a possible NCAA violation when Chinn loaned her $600 in December.
Chinn refused to comment on the allegations when reached by the Herald on Monday night, citing university policy.
FIU Athletic Director Pete Garcia and Senior Associate Athletic Director Julie Berg did not respond to phone calls and emails. The department held a mandatory meeting Tuesday morning regarding sexual harassment.
Chinn wasn’t present, according to an FIU source, but his assistant coaches were.
Feagin, whose photo appears on the cover of FIU’s season schedule, said she filed an NCAA complaint Thursday afternoon. Feagin and her mother, Joi Nicholson, say they reported Chinn to Berg and to Shirlyon McWhorter, FIU director of equal opportunity programs and diversity, late Thursday afternoon. Friday night, Feagin was scratched from the team’s annual Senior Night ceremony, in which all seniors traditionally participate.
In earlier text messages to the Herald, Chinn said Feagin missed Saturday’s game for a violation of team policy and her return was “to be determined.” Feagin said she committed the violation — using a teammate’s Panther Bucks card to buy food when her own was depleted — and Nicholson repaid the $350 owed Monday.
Feagin and Nicholson assert that Chinn suspended Feagin four games — the rest of the regular season and the first game of the Conference USA tournament, for which FIU holds the lowest seed — as punishment for resisting his sexual advances.
Chinn, 45, is in his first season at FIU, which is 4-23, after six years as a Maryland assistant coach. The team’s next game is Thursday at Alabama-Birmingham.
Feagin said that inappropriate remarks from the coach started soon after he joined the team.
“I noticed he had a sexual attraction for me when he started saying perverted things to me,’’ she said. “Commenting on my looks, my body, frame, my breasts, my behind. The way I smile. He would go into detail what his sexual thoughts were.
“He didn’t come out and say what his intentions were at first, but he gave me hints,” she said. “He said little things that alerted me. Then, he came out and told me how he felt about me.”
That happened in January, she said. Feagin showed The Herald screen shots of text messages she said were from Chinn (each screen shot from Feagin’s iPhone had “Coach Chinn” in the contact spot at the top of the screen.).
A series of texts stamped July 15 read: “Hey Sista!!! I ain’t seen u in a while!! Got to put my Good Eye on u!!” with four eye emojis.
A text stamped Dec. 18 read: “I want you to have so much more to offer ANYONE that wants to be a part of u after they get pass how good ur face and body looks!!!”
In late December when she needed to pay off a $500 debt on her FIU account before registering for a class that would keep her eligible, Chinn gave her money, Feagin said. She said she figured since the money was used for school registration, there could be no NCAA violation.
“He took me to the bank, gave me $600 in cash,” Feagin, 22, said. “I went to pay the debt on my account. The day after I received the money, he called me. I said ‘Coach, how could I ever repay you?’ I was thankful, showing gratitude, humbleness. I really appreciated that. He said, ‘You will pay me back. In other ways.’ He said that six times. It’s vivid in my head.”
Feagin said a few weeks later, the week of Jan. 18 as the team prepared for home games against Texas-San Antonio and Texas-El Paso, Chinn asked about her personal life. Feagin said when she casually complained about men, he replied with, “Oh, yeah, if I had it my way, you’d be my girl. If I was in school, you’d be my girl.”
After practice, Feagin said, she went back to Chinn’s office to clarify what he meant and he said, “I have sexual fantasies about you.”
She said during road trips she began receiving wee hours phone calls asking her to come to Chinn’s room; claimed he once grabbed her posterior in a hug the morning of the Feb. 6 home game against Middle Tennessee State; and once in front of assistant coaches, as she got on a bus, heard him say, “Oh, when you going to let me get some of that candy?”
“I had no candy in my hand whatsoever,” Feagin said. “At that point, I knew, these coaches know. They have to know. Maybe they’ll say something to help stop the situation. I felt powerless. I felt like I couldn’t tell anybody because he would use basketball against me. And he knew how much I wanted to play.