Bonds v. CMU
CMU faces lawsuit for removal of basketball player
Former Central Michigan player Damarion Bonds has filed a lawsuit against CMU after the school’s decision to remove him from the University in February 2025, which his lawyers say is preventing him from being able to transfer to another Division I University.
On March 31, 2025, Bonds filed a lawsuit against CMU stating that the school violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution for denying his right to due process as he was not given the chance for a hearing or cross-examination once the complaint was filed against him.
The lawsuit filed with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan lists CMU, Rochester Christian University, Rochester’s Vice President Scott E. Samuels and CMU’s Thomas H. Idema Jr. and Mary Martinez as defendants. CMU declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
“Under the law if you’re accused of any misconduct you have the opportunity to be present, represented and a chance to give the full story,” Edward Salem, one of Bonds’ attorneys said. “During the two hearings they had, Mr. Idema controlled the whole scenario and failed to provide the whole story. This is one of the many facts as to why he was deprived due process.”
According to the lawsuit, Bonds attended Rochester Christian University on scholarship as a student-athlete during the 2022-2023 academic year. In or around late 2022, Bonds was cited for a violation of Rochester University’s Student Code of Conduct after a member of the opposite sex made a complaint about Bonds to Rochester officials.
The lawsuit states that the complaints resulted in no further citation or charges to Bonds.
Following the end of the Rochester basketball season in 2023, Bonds decided to transfer to Henry Ford College to continue his athletic and academic career, and was made to sign a Sanction Notice on April 6, 2023, acknowledging the citation earned in 2022.
In the Sanction Notice, Bonds was suspended from Rochester University housing and placed on probation for the upcoming 2023-24 year as well. With Bonds set to transfer to Henry Ford College the following season anyways, he signed the notice.
Bonds was granted the ability to transfer to Henry Ford College, where he was later recruited to join the Central Michigan men’s basketball team for the 2024-25 season.
On Oct. 14, 2024, Bonds was asked to complete a Previous Institution Verification Form, with one of the questions asking: “Is this student currently subject to any Title IX or sexual misconduct investigation or grievance process that has not yet completed?”
According to the complaint and demand, Bonds selected “No”, since the investigation was not ongoing.
According to the complaint and demand filed by Bonds’ attorney, Tarik D. Turfe and Edward Salem, Rochester Christian was asked to fill out the same Previous Institution Verification Form on Oct. 15, 2024, where it disclosed that he was, at one point, the subject of a Title IX investigation surrounding dating violence and sexual assault. The investigation was not completed because the complainant left Rochester mid-investigation.
“The school has a duty and obligation when a transfer happens, especially a student athlete, to get all the forms filled and completed timely,” Salem said. “CMU waited over four months, one day before the report was due to the NCAA, to give Damarion Bonds the form he needed to sign.”
In the form, Bonds also responded “No” to an application question regarding whether or not he had been dismissed or suspended from a previous school. According to the lawsuit, Martinez, CMU’s Title IX coordinator, found this information to be accurate, since Bonds was only dismissed from Rochester as an athlete, but not as a student.
According to the lawsuit, Martinez told the CMU athletic department to look over Bonds’ eligibility to continue as a student-athlete because the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity would have recommended that Bonds not be recruited to CMU based on the alleged information that was gained.
“Everybody at CMU recognized that the question was a difficult question, but was answered correctly,” Salem said. “If the question was answered correctly, how could someone have made a false statement on an application?”
During Bonds’ season at CMU, CMU’s Office of Student Conduct allegedly charged Bonds with violating CMU’s Code of Student Rights for presenting false information.
During a November 2024 hearing, the school determined that Bonds violated CMU’s code for providing false information, which Bonds later appealed, with another hearing scheduled for Dec. 18, 2024.
However, the verdict was upheld on Feb. 5, 2025, dismissing Bonds from his role as a CMU student and athlete altogether.
Bonds’ attorney said that Bonds has suffered as a result of being removed from CMU, with the university jeopardizing his ability to complete his degree and continue his athletic career as he loses a year of eligibility as a result of the verdict.
The filed lawsuit read the Bonds family endured emotional and psychological distress as a result of the actions taken by the defendants.
Due to Bonds being dismissed from the school, he is ineligible to be recruited by another university as a student athlete until the litigation is resolved.
“He is ineligible right now because he was dismissed from the school, that means he has to be enrolled at a different institution,” Salem said.
According to his attorney, Bonds looks to move on from Central Michigan next year as both a student and an athlete.
“We’re going to reinstate his eligibility and he is going to move on next year,” Salem said. “Why would he want to return to CMU?”
Salem is seeking equitable relief for Bonds, as they believe this harms his future as a potential professional athlete, though an exact number has not been listed.
