Former UMass Lowell baseball player Cedric Rose was set to meet with UML Chancellor Julie Chen Wednesday morning to reach a settlement, accounting for a premature ending to the player's career last February after he accused former head coach Ken Harring of racial discrimination.
Rose, whose father is Black and mother is White, was dismissed from the team after Harring learned that Rose had been documenting instances of the former coach's alleged racist behavior in a diary.
"The money doesn't mean anything," Rose said less than an hour before meeting with UMass Lowell officials. "All I ever wanted was to play baseball and get the opportunity to continue my career. The money helps now that my career is over, but I wouldn't care about the money if I was still able to play baseball. I wanted to live out my childhood dream for as long as I could. Unfortunately, it got cut a little short."
Rose is currently living with his parents in his hometown of Pittsfield, Mass., working as a carpenter under the mentorship of his uncle. Harring resigned from his position as UMass Lowell head coach in July, roughly one month after the university's independent investigation determined that Harring "did not violate (university) policy." However, UML issued a statement at the conclusion of the investigation, saying Harring's actions "do not align with the university's commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment."
