Keep CBU Wrestling

Since when is wearing a t-shirt a disciplinary offense?

California's Leonard Law (Education Code §94367) protects students at private universities from being punished for speech that would be protected anywhere else in the state.

The new lawsuit alleges CBU threatened wrestlers with discipline for wearing "Keep CBU Wrestling" apparel and peacefully standing up for their program.

These athletes were recruited here. They built their lives around this team. The least the university owes them is the freedom to speak when it's taken away.

What started with wrestling has never been just about wrestling. It has always been about standing up for student athletes, non revenue sports, Olympic sports, and the promises made to the young men and women who came to CBU believing they had a home here.

Now, CBU swimmers are speaking out too. As swimmer Trent Bemis put it: “Sometimes you have to sacrifice luxuries to keep the lights on, but CBU isn’t willing to do that.”

That quote says a lot. Throughout this entire process, these athletes have been reminded over and over again where the school’s priorities appear to be. While student athletes are being told there is no room for their futures, there still seems to be room for everything else.

But the athletes are not standing alone. Wrestlers, swimmers, golfers, families, alumni, coaches, supporters, and members of the community are rising together. This is about protecting opportunities. This is about protecting Olympic sports. This is about making sure student athletes are not treated as disposable when budgets get tight or priorities shift.

CBU may have tried to separate these programs, but the athletes are becoming more united than ever. We remain committed to this fight and will continue to show up no matter who tells us it’s not worth it!

Thank you to The Press-Enterprise and journalist Dennis Pope for continuing to highlight the voices of the student athletes impacted by CBU’s decision.

"If (California Baptist University ) really wanted to keep the three athletic teams there are some things that are obviously easy budget fixes like fireworks (at baseball and softball games)," Bemis said. "Sometimes you have to sacrifice luxuries to keep the lights on, but CBU isn't willing to do that."

Athletes voice displeasure over loss of swim and dive program at CBU The university announced Jan. 2 that it would cut men’s swimming, wrestling and golf at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.

INLAND COLLEGE NOTES: Five wrestlers sue CBU for fraud and retaliation Plaintiffs are seeking reinstatement of the wrestling program, compensatory and punitive damages, and a declaration that CBU violated California law.

“CBU committed fraud by concealing its plan to cancel the wrestling program while continuing to recruit athletes and accept their tuition.”

INLAND COLLEGE NOTES: Five wrestlers sue CBU for fraud and retaliation Plaintiffs are seeking reinstatement of the wrestling program, compensatory and punitive damages, and a declaration that CBU violated California law.

“$1.3M won’t sustain the program long-term.”
We’ve seen the comments. Here are the facts straight from the civil complaint filed against CBU on April 30 (Riverside Superior Court, Case No. CVRI2602637):

→ In fall 2024, a private donor offered to start an endowment specifically for CBU Wrestling.
→ Dr. Micah Parker (VP for Athletics) and Joey Logan (Deputy AD) turned it down.
→ The lawsuit alleges they declined “at least in part, because they knew that CBU planned to cancel the Wrestling Program entirely.” (¶36)
→ CBU’s endowment sits at $162.7M. The entire wrestling program — scholarships included — costs less than $1.2M/year.
→ KCBUW has raised $1.3M in four months. That’s already more than a full year of operating costs.

This was never about sustainability. CBU had an opportunity to secure the program’s future and chose not to take it.

Yet they let coaching staff continue to recruit athletes to the team so they could receive their tuition dollars.

We’re not going anywhere.
Link in bio to stay updated.

California Baptist University has refused $1.3 million in private donor pledges to save its wrestling program.

Supporters of California Baptist University wrestling have organized to raise the funds necessary to keep the program running. As of last month, more than $1.3 million in pledges had been secured — an amount that, by CBU’s own cost estimates filed in federal court, exceeds the full annual operating cost of the program.

CBU has refused to accept the funds. The university has stated, in its own FAQs and court filings, that no amount of private fundraising can reverse its decision to cancel wrestling, men’s golf, and men’s swim and dive.

Athletes are ready to compete. Coaches are ready to coach. Donors have already written the checks.
The only thing missing is the willingness of CBU’s administration to accept help that costs the university nothing.

Sign up for our newsletter through the link in the comments to stay up to date as both lawsuits move forward.

Link to all legal filings here:

 https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jxpEv2i2_l2rotL-DBi3q3GHJlvPxOZR?usp=sharing

“CBU’s treatment of its wrestlers has not just been unseemly and, indeed, reprehensible; CBU’s actions have also violated California law. CBU apparently believed its heavy-handed acts could bully Plaintiffs into submission. CBU should have known better: wrestlers do not quit.”

A second lawsuit has now been filed against California Baptist University over the decision to cut wrestling, swim and dive, and golf.

With litigation now active in both federal court and Riverside Superior Court, the fight for fairness, transparency, and accountability continues.

The new lawsuit includes fraud-based claims, alleging student athletes were recruited and retained while key information about the future of their programs was concealed.

We also want to thank for taking on this case pro bono and standing with these student athletes.

Not only does the wrestling community stand together, but we stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone across Southern California who believes in opportunity, pathways to higher education, and the life changing mentorship these programs provide to young men and women especially first generation college students.

We stand for every future CBU wrestler and for the preservation of Olympic sports.

Check out the link in our bio to view all legal documents that have been filed.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Dominique Daniels Jr. speaks on the recent handling of ’s recent decision to cut 3 mens sports.

The WAC Player of the Year, WAC Tournament MVP, 3x All-WAC selection, and the captain who led CBU to its first-ever NCAA Tournament stands with his fellow Lancers who are impacted by the decision to cut 3 men’s programs. He’s making it clear: what happened to these student-athletes wasn’t right.

This is a leader who’s earned everything. 11x WAC Player of the Week, multiple All-District honors, and one of the most decorated players in program history, standing up for athletes who love their sport just as much as he loves his.
That says everything.

You don’t build a championship culture by cutting programs. You build it by investing in the athletes who represent your university with pride.

This is bigger than wrestling. It’s about leadership, accountability, and doing right by your own.