After months of speculation about Texas Southern athletic director Kevin Granger’s employment status, the school confirmed late Wednesday night that he has been fired.
Granger was informed of his termination on February 13.
News broke last June that Granger had been accused of sexually assaulting a staffer and was facing litigation in civil court as a result. TSU immediately put Granger on administrative leave.
The school has said nothing about Granger or his job status until Wednesday night in response to why the school made the decision to remove his No.10 jersey from the rafters of the H&PE Arena prior to last Thursday’s regular-season finale basketball games.
The Defender had been requesting comment on the decision to remove the jersey of Granger, who had been a star basketball player for the Tigers in the 1990s. The school confirmed that President James W. Crawford made the decision to remove the No.10 banner.
But all of Granger’s accomplishments as a player, including being inducted into the TSU Sports Hall of Fame remain intact.
Below is the school’s statement in its entirety.
In June 2025, Texas Southern University was formally notified of serious allegations made in a civil lawsuit against Dr. Kevin Granger, who was then serving as Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Athletic Director. Based on the seriousness of the allegations and the advice of legal counsel, the University immediately placed Dr. Granger on administrative leave status. Associated with this action, two independent administrative inquiries into this matter, fully external to the University, under Title VII and Title IX were directed.
These inquiries unfolded over several months during which time the University focused on ensuring that the rights and protections of the parties involved were observed. Following the completion of these inquiries, on February 13, 2026, the University issued a termination letter to Dr. Granger to discontinue his service as Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Athletic Director at Texas Southern University. Consistent with pertinent law and university policy, the letter notified Dr. Granger that the effective date of termination would be March 16, 2026. After careful deliberation, on March 5, 2026, the president made the decision to remove Dr. Granger’s retired jersey banner from public display in the H&PE Arena.
Any suggestion that the University failed to act or acted without due consideration is inaccurate. Texas Southern University followed a deliberate administrative process, assessing the facts, applicable law, and policy, over several months to ensure a fair and responsible review and determination.
Dr. Granger’s accomplishments as a student-athlete remain recognized through his inclusion in the Texas Southern University Sports Hall of Fame, where all inductees are selected through a vote of the Texas Southern University Sports Hall of Fame Committee.
Because the civil litigation remains ongoing, the University will refrain from further comment.
Granger, through his attorney, Letitia Quinones-Hollins, denies all allegations and argues that the lack of criminal charges proves he did nothing wrong. He is only facing civil charges brought by the complainant through her attorney, Tony Buzbee.
“Dr. Granger has and will consistently deny the allegations made against him. Texas Southern University’s own comprehensive investigation conducted under Title IX found the allegations of sexual assault and the other serious charges were not substantiated,” Quinones-Hollins said via a statement sent to the Defender on Thursday. “Additionally, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office did not file any charges against Dr. Granger. In essence, the DA found there was not sufficient evidence to charge him with any crime.
“It is disappointing and disheartening that after thirty years of devoting his time, toil, and talents to Texas Southern University, the University elected to exercise the harshest level of punishment and terminate his employment. Over the years, Dr. Granger has broken many records, raised several millions of dollars for the University, formed partnerships and relationships with major league sports teams in Houston, and under his leadership, student athletes broke more records than in the school’s prior history.
“Dr. Granger remains an incredibly well-respected part of the community, and he will always be proud of his work at the university as well as the opportunities he created for TSU and its students over the years. It is unfortunate that his stellar reputation has been tarnished by a financially motivated litigant, but he intends to challenge this complaint at every step of the judicial process.
“In the end, it matters not if his jersey hangs in the rafters of the H&PE Arena. His legacy and footprint will inevitably be present.”
Granger was a recruit of TSU coaching legend Robert Moreland and was a four-year star from 1992-96. He led the NCAA in scoring in 1996 with a 27-point-per-game average. He was SWAC Freshman of the Year, a two-time Black College All-American, and when he left TSU, Granger was the fifth-leading scorer in school history with 1,971 points.
Granger was also an assistant coach at TSU. He later became AD Charles McClelland’s trusted lieutenant before assuming control of the athletic department once McClelland left to run the SWAC. Granger was doing so well at his job that in 2024, the school extended his contract until 2029.
Longtime college administrator Paul Jackson was brought in last fall as the department’s interim athletic director.
