Lawsuit: College Refused To Hire Coach With 'Jewish Blood'

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A federal lawsuit claims the president of a private Baptist college in Louisiana refused to approve a football coach's hiring because of what he called the applicant's "Jewish blood."

Joshua Bonadona sued Louisiana College and its president, Rick Brewer, on Wednesday, accusing them of violating his civil rights.

The 28-year-old graduate of Louisiana College says he applied for a job as defensive backs coach at his alma mater last year and was interviewed by Brewer and the school's head football coach. The lawsuit claims the head coach recommended hiring Bonadona but was overruled by Brewer because of his Jewish heritage.

Brewer didn't immediately respond to a phone call and email seeking comment.

The suit says Bonadona subsequently accepted a coaching job at Hendrix College in Arkansas for less money.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)