NO. 14-981 In the Supreme Court of the United States ABIGAIL NOEL FISHER, PETITIONER v. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, ET AL. ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT BRIEF OF NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BASKETBALL COACHES, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR COACHING EQUITY AND DEVELOPMENT, GENO AURIEMMA, JIM BOEHEIM, JOHN CHANEY, JODY CONRADT, TOM IZZO, MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, JOANNE P. MCCALLIE, GEORGE RAVELING, NOLAN RICHARDSON, SUE SEMRAU, ORLANDO “TUBBY” SMITH, JOHN R. THOMPSON, JR., TARA VANDERVEER, DICK VITALE, COQUESE WASHINGTON, AND GARY WILLIAMS AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTS* RICHARD D. BATCHELDER, JR. MATTHEW T. HENSHON ROPES & GRAY LLP Counsel of Record Prudential Tower HENSHON KLEIN LLP 800 Boylston Street 120 Water St., 2nd Floor Boston, MA 02199 Boston, MA 02109 (617) 367-1800
[email protected] SAMIRA A. OMEROVIC ROPES & GRAY LLP 2099 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20006 *Additional amici are listed in Appendix TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Interest of amici curiae ....................................................... 1 Introduction and summary ................................................ 9 Argument: I. The values expressed by the Grutter v. Bollinger Court are supported by our collective experience 11 A. Athletics has long played a key part in increasing perspectives across diverse groups, both within the team itself and in the population at large................................ 11 B. Team-building on the modern campus requires working together with a diverse group of student-athletes, a model for working in today’s professional environment ............................... 20 C. Our student-athletes, coming from diverse and multi-cultural environments, have gone on to serve our nation in varied and important fields ..........