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July 26 (UPI) -- Derrell Coleman, a former Detroit Tigers clubhouse attendant, is suing the team and former pitching coach Chris Bosio over alleged racial discrimination. Coleman filed a lawsuit Thursday claiming a "culture of racism was tolerated by the upper echelons of management, as African American employees were treated differently than their similarly-situated white counterparts," according to court documents.
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Coleman claims he was called a "boy" and a "monkey" by Bosio during Spring Training 2018. Coleman also alleges Bosio threatened to "skin [him] the [expletive] alive" after leaving an unnamed object in Bosio's locker as a prank.
The Tigers fired Bosio in June 2018, his first year with the team. Bosio was the Chicago Cubs' pitching coach from 2012 to 2017.
Bosio threatened to sue the Cubs for wrongful termination. Coleman alleges he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder when the Tigers asked him to work up a written statement about the incidents involving Bosio.
Coleman accuses the Tigers of suspending him for leaving bats in the clubhouse. The lawsuit says a white clubhouse attendant was not disciplined for not packing catcher's equipment for a road trip to Chicago.
Coleman worked for the Tigers in 2017 and 2018. The lawsuit also claims the Tigers took advantage of Coleman after he disclosed he has Asperger's Syndrome.
The Tigers have not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
