Two student athletes at Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) are facing serious consequences after a flood in a dorm room this August.

The incident has sparked controversy and led to a planned protest on campus.

The NAACP claims the school’s response to the incident is unfair. WINK News received a detailed timeline of events from the students involved, Jeremy Innocent and Abdoulaye “Doulie” Konate, both men’s basketball players at FSW.

According to the timeline, the flood began when the toilet overflowed while Innocent was in the shower. Konate discovered the flooding upon entering the room. Innocent reported the overflow to the front desk at 6:41 p.m. Resident Assistant Zoee Roberts contacted Konate at 6:43 p.m. Konate and his suitemate, Mason Blazer, also on the basketball team, managed to stop the water at 6:50 p.m. by placing a bottle under the float to lift it and shut off the water flow.

FSW staff did not enter the room until 7:14 p.m., and maintenance arrived shortly before 8 p.m. The water was cleaned up around 8:15 p.m. Based on the student athletes’ report, the water sat on the vinyl flooring for about 90 minutes between the initial report and cleanup.

An FSW email notifying the students of their suspension was forwarded to WINK News. It shows FSW attributed the flooding to an obstruction that released 300-500 gallons of water into the dorm. The email also stated that “more significantly,” the reporting process was delayed, causing extensive damage.

Konate expressed his frustration over the situation.

“I’m a first-generation; I’m a student athlete,” said Konate. “I just came here to just get my education and play basketball. And you’re taking that away from me over something that happened in the dorms during the summertime over a flood, a water leak, like I thought a conversation with them would be good enough.”

During that hearing with board members, Konate’s lawyer and an advocate collected eyewitnesses and the students who currently live in the affected dorm room. They said those students continue to have plumbing issues with the same toilet. A plumber was even brought in, who suggested the flooding was due to a mechanical error, not excessive flushing. However, none of these individuals was allowed to speak.

The consequences for the two students included removal from the dorm, loss of their $7,000 housing scholarship, a $5,000 damage fine, and redirection of their federal financial aid and food money toward the fine.

FSW stated they do not comment on specific student conduct cases, but emphasized their adherence to a rigorous process outlined in the Student Code of Conduct designed to ensure due process and a fair, impartial hearing of alleged violations.

Click here for FSW’s full statement.

The NAACP plans to protest outside FSW on Thursday at noon, urging the school to re-evaluate its disciplinary process.

Innocent and Konate will continue playing on the basketball team until Dec. 12. After that, they will be suspended for six months and will need to reapply to the school for reinstatement.