Cleveland State: Cleveland State Plays Dirty, Former Coach Says

Cleveland State Plays Dirty, Former Coach Says: Former Cleveland State coach Mike Garland is suing the university to obtain the salary he would have earned in the final two years of his contract before the school forced him out. Garland said the athletic director told him he was fired and would be reassigned to another position in the athletic department. Garland opted not to take that position, and the school announced that he had resigned. The school said Garland’s contract contained language that gave it the right to reassign Garland and let him keep his salary level. From the school’s perspective, by declining to accept the reassignment, Garland had resigned. From the coach’s, by forcing him to accept a different job or leave, the school had fired him. The Ohio Court of Claims gets to settle this messy divorce. [7/27/06]