Billy G files $6 million lawsuit against UK

[AdaSooner]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4210508

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Former Kentucky men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie sued the school Wednesday, seeking at least $6 million he says he is owed on his deal for being fired without cause.

Gillispie, who was dismissed last spring, was working under a memorandum of understanding but hadn't signed a formal contract during the two years he coached at Kentucky.


Billy Gillispie is seeking $6 million from his former employer, Kentucky.

He contends that under that memorandum, he should be paid $1.5 million a year for four of the five years left on the deal. The suit also asks for an undisclosed amount of punitive damages, attorneys' fees, court costs and interest.

 

[Arkboysooner]

Still don't know why he didn't just sign the contract.

 

[sooner333]

I see a settlement on the horizon.

 

[MercedeSooner]

Settlement - 50% ownership and all the free liquor he could want at that campus bar he frequented 6 times a week.

 

[DenverSooner]

that is very strange language "memorandum of understanding". It almost sounds like a letter of intent (which in legal transactions -not recruiting) usually say they are non-binding. It will be interesting to see what happens in this case. I cannot imagine too many juries having sympathy for a guy making huge money that was offerred a contract and never signed it. However, you never know what a judge or jury will do.

 

[BigTime]

Pay him in cheap booze and he will go away and be happy.

 

[SoonerEyeDoc]

Mike DeCourcy was on 810WHB in KC yesterday discussing this along with the Memphis issue. He said Gillispie didn't sign it because he thought he would win big and want to renegotiate for a bigger deal, so in not signing, he felt it would be easier to demand more money. DeCourcy also made an interesting point that the two previous coaches who filed lawsuits against their previous employer (Jim O'Brien and Nolan Richardson) haven't coached since. I don't think Gillispie would quite fall into that same category of being "unhireable" since he didn't commit any known violations like O'Brien and didn't face the scrutiny that Richardson did with his discrimination accusations, but it won't help him to find another quality job in the near future.

As far as the Memphis issue, here's the column that he wrote after he came on yesterday morning, in which he makes some good points about the hypocrisy of the NCAA controlling scholastic eligibility.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=554406

 

[Seymore Cox]

Mike DeCourcy was on 810WHB in KC yesterday discussing this along with the Memphis issue. He said Gillispie didn't sign it because he thought he would win big and want to renegotiate for a bigger deal, so in not signing, he felt it would be easier to demand more money. DeCourcy also made an interesting point that the two previous coaches who filed lawsuits against their previous employer (Jim O'Brien and Nolan Richardson) haven't coached since. I don't think Gillispie would quite fall into that same category of being "unhireable" since he didn't commit any known violations like O'Brien and didn't face the scrutiny that Richardson did with his discrimination accusations, but it won't help him to find another quality job in the near future.

As far as the Memphis issue, here's the column that he wrote after he came on yesterday morning, in which he makes some good points about the hypocrisy of the NCAA controlling scholastic eligibility.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=554406

Gillespie won't coach major ball again either and probably doesn't care too. He'll find a job in Texas somewhere whether it be at a low major like Texas Pan American, or a mid major like Rice if he desires coaching. The key thing that alot of people don't take into account is that in alot of these settelements and buyouts, there are clauses preventing coaches from taking another job for a predetermined amount of years. This is why you haven't saw Sean Sutton getting involved in coaching his first two years out.

 

[AdaSooner]

Not sure if this has been posted, but as a follow up to the story UK has filed a countersuit against Gillispie.

The University of Kentucky countersued fired men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie on Thursday, claiming it doesn't owe him pay because he never signed a contract.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4213096