| | Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota is suing former
basketball coach Clem Haskins, looking to recover its $1.5 million
contract buyout and contending he lied about academic cheating.
"The university got ripped off, and we want our money back,"
university lawyer Lorie Gildea said Monday at a news conference.
Gildea said Haskins' admission to the NCAA that he secretly paid
a former tutor $3,000 was the "smoking gun." The lawsuit also
contends Haskins told players to mislead investigators after the
story broke in March 1999.
The suit, filed in Hennepin County District Court, seeks damages
and legal expenses. It cites fraud, deceit and breach of employment
agreement.
Haskins' attorney, Ron Meshbesher, issued a statement saying the
university's allegations are false. He said the school's attorneys
investigated the matter and that top officials were fully aware of
the allegations against Haskins when they approved the terms of the
buyout.
"If the university will not honor its agreements, which it
deliberately sought and considered, what message does that send to
its law students and the rest of the student body?" Meshbesher
asked.
Haskins has denied wrongdoing. University president Mark Yudof
defended the buyout, saying the school was obligated to give him
the money because it had no proof of wrongdoing by Haskins at the
time.
After repeatedly denying the accusation, Haskins acknowledged to
the NCAA in August that he secretly gave $3,000 to a woman who
tutored basketball players after she had been ordered to stay away
from the program.
Gildea said the university had been considering suing Haskins
for some time, but waited until an NCAA investigation was complete.
The NCAA is expected to rule in October.
Haskins resigned in June 1999, three months after former tutor
Jan Gangelhoff said she had written about 400 research papers and
tests for about 20 players during Haskins' tenure.
The NCAA began investigating after the university's nine-month,
$2.2 million investigation found systematic cheating and fraud on
the men's basketball team.
The findings resulted in the departure of two university
administrators and self-imposed sanctions limiting recruitment and
a ban from postseason play.
In addition to the NCAA inquiry, a federal grand jury is
pursuing the matter because some fraudulent coursework was sent
through the mail for correspondence classes. | |
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Report: Gangelhoff might agree to plea deal in Minnesota probe
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