Fmr Grambling Coach Spears Sues School

[TexasTerror]

News from Grambling. Nick Deriso is reporting that Melvin Spears is suing Grambling over an agreement that would give Spears the balance of his contract. Spears is saying he was not given a reason to his firing, which he feels is in violation of his contract.
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Former Grambling coach sues school over firing
By Nick Deriso
[email protected]

GRAMBLING -- Former Grambling State head football coach Melvin Spears wants the rest of his money.

Spears, fired two months ago after a 3-8 campaign at GSU, had signed a five-year contract that ran through the 2009 season.

A new lawsuit, filed in Baton Rouge against the university by attorney Wade Shows, claims that 2005 agreement stipuates that Spears is due the balance of his contract if his termination was for anything other than cause.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070210/UPDATES02/70210005/1006/SPORTS

[AppGuy04]

Spears, fired two months ago after a 3-8 campaign at GSU

I think thats reason enough

[TexasTerror]

Spears, fired two months ago after a 3-8 campaign at GSU

I think thats reason enough

You would think so, wouldn't you? No reason is needed...the President said a "different direction" was needed. Following a 3-8 season, it's hard not to agree...:nod:

[rokamortis]

I bet the school settles and that Spears gets a nice payout.

[AppGuy04]

I bet the school settles and that Spears gets a nice payout.

I hope not, this is a greedy move by Spears

Honestly, If I was another school looking at hiring him, this would make me hesitate.

[rokamortis]

I hope not, this is a greedy move by Spears

Honestly, If I was another school looking at hiring him, this would make me hesitate.

I don't know. It seems that most contracts are designed to protect the coach, not the school. And it doesn't appear that losing justifies cause in most cases. Especially after only one season after losing your star QB.

Unless he did something dasterdly, the school shouldn't have signed him to a 5 year deal if it wasn't willing to pay up. Or they should have given him an extra year to turn it around.

[GoldandBlack]

Spears, fired two months ago after a 3-8 campaign at GSU, had signed a five-year contract that ran through the 2009 season.

A new lawsuit, filed in Baton Rouge against the university by attorney Wade Shows, claims that 2005 agreement stipuates that Spears is due the balance of his contract if his termination was for anything other than cause.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070210/UPDATES02/70210005/1006/SPORTS

Wonder what he thinks "cause" would be? 2-9? 1-10? 0-11?

GRAMBLING, La. (AP) - Melvin Spears, the Grambling State coach for three seasons, was fired on Monday, school president Dr. Horace A. Judson announced.

In records dating back to 1945, Grambling has only lost as many as eight games on three occasions, twice at the end of the tenure of legendary former coach Eddie Robinson and then in 2006 under Spears.

http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20061225d

[Mr. C]

A five-year contract is a five-year contract and should be treated as such by ALL parties. I'm sick of schools that don't honor their word and of coaches who jump to other schools when they have contracts, too. The only ones forced to honor committments are the scholarship athletes, who have to sit out a year, or move down a notch to play when the coaching staff changes.

I hope Spears gets all of the money he has coming, 3-8 record or not.

[Mr. C]

Spears, fired two months ago after a 3-8 campaign at GSU

I think thats reason enough
Spears' firing wasn't handled in a class manner by Grambling, plain and simple. They owed him more explanation than they gave him. There is never ANY reason for doing things the way the Tigers did. They probably kept a tight lip, because they knew they were going to get sued. Still, the Icon showed no class in handling this. It is always best to take the ethical high road, which Grambling didn't do.

[GoldandBlack]

A five-year contract is a five-year contract and should be treated as such by ALL parties. I'm sick of schools that don't honor their word and of coaches who jump to other schools when they have contracts, too. The only ones forced to honor committments are the scholarship athletes, who have to sit out a year, or move down a notch to play when the coaching staff changes.

I hope Spears gets all of the money he has coming, 3-8 record or not.

In an ideal world, I'd agree, but coaching contracts are set up specifically to give some protection to both sides if it doesn't work out to the satisfaction of both during the contract term. It's much the same as in business- many multi-year contracts are not completed to term for one reason or another, dependent upon the terms of the contract.

I personally think multi-year terms are set up to insulate both the administration and coach from short-term pressures coming from the financial supporters of the school. (The "lose 3 games in a row, get rid of the head coach" syndrome)

If this contract doesn't have more specificity than is shown in the initial post, the coach should have had a better attorney, since the term "cause" leaves a wide margin for interpretation.

Finally, if Spears gets his money in the end, it still won't help the student-athletes who have been affected by this move.

[GoldandBlack]

Spears' firing wasn't handled in a class manner by Grambling, plain and simple. They owed him more explanation than they gave him. There is never ANY reason for doing things the way the Tigers did. They probably kept a tight lip, because they knew they were going to get sued. Still, the Icon showed no class in handling this. It is always best to take the ethical high road, which Grambling didn't do.

I agree with this- business agreement or not, there's no reason not to operate openly and honestly.

[Mr. Tiger]

Spears' firing wasn't handled in a class manner by Grambling, plain and simple. They owed him more explanation than they gave him. There is never ANY reason for doing things the way the Tigers did. They probably kept a tight lip, because they knew they were going to get sued. Still, the Icon showed no class in handling this. It is always best to take the ethical high road, which Grambling didn't do.

:nonono2: I couldn't disagree more. As the story says ''Spears final campaign was also marked by the opening of an NCAA investigation in January 2006 and then a second internal probe into the drug testing of selected members of the football team that November. The NCAA investigation, apparently focusing on the use of ineligible transfers, continues. Plus, he was 3-8. An NCAA investigation and a losing record was enough cause.

[GoldandBlack]

:nonono2: I couldn't disagree more. As the story says ''Spears final campaign was also marked by the opening of an NCAA investigation in January 2006 and then a second internal probe into the drug testing of selected members of the football team that November. The NCAA investigation, apparently focusing on the use of ineligible transfers, continues. Plus, he was 3-8. An NCAA investigation and a losing record was enough cause.

I didn't catch the NCAA investigation- now THAT'S "cause" in my book.

[TexasTerror]

Spears' firing wasn't handled in a class manner by Grambling, plain and simple. They owed him more explanation than they gave him. There is never ANY reason for doing things the way the Tigers did. They probably kept a tight lip, because they knew they were going to get sued. Still, the Icon showed no class in handling this. It is always best to take the ethical high road, which Grambling didn't do.

NCAA Investigation? That's not enough?

They can say institutional control was at fault, like they love to do, but the new AD (a McN alum) came in and began taking out the trash, starting with Spears. He did the right thing...

Spears is going to be painted in a bad light because of this. Quite a few things from the NCAA investigation that may hurt Spears' chance of getting another job will be let out of the bag if they go to court and this is not resolved...

[GoldandBlack]

NCAA Investigation? That's not enough?

They can say institutional control was at fault, like they love to do, but the new AD (a McN alum) came in and began taking out the trash, starting with Spears. He did the right thing...

Spears is going to be painted in a bad light because of this. Quite a few things from the NCAA investigation that may hurt Spears' chance of getting another job will be let out of the bag if they go to court and this is not resolved...

In light of the continuing investigation, his lawsuit would appear to be very short-sighted.

[*****]

don't they have to show cause? losing isn't cause, he didn't play. investigations aren't cause unless he's implicated. coach spears is not some underhanded person ASFAIK and I don't think he would pursue this without reason. remember certain grambling folks tried to get him by saying he lied on his resume just last year? I'm sure he has his reasons to pursue this.

[Mr. C]

NCAA Investigation? That's not enough?

They can say institutional control was at fault, like they love to do, but the new AD (a McN alum) came in and began taking out the trash, starting with Spears. He did the right thing...

Spears is going to be painted in a bad light because of this. Quite a few things from the NCAA investigation that may hurt Spears' chance of getting another job will be let out of the bag if they go to court and this is not resolved...
No, an investigation is not enough. Do you have proof of wrongdoing? Does Grambling? I haven't seen the NCAA weigh in on this. You might remember Billy Joe sticking it to FAMU when he was dragged through the ringer, only to be cleared by the NCAA (it was others screwing up at FAMU, particularly in compliance). By the way, Terror, lack of institutional control is something that hits the administrators, not the coaches.

Do you think it's going to help Spears' job prospects to sit back and not fight this one out? I don't think so. As Ralph points out, there have been folks trying to undercut Spears from the moment he got hired at Grambling. I think in do time, he will get his do. And NONE of this justifies an employers EVER firing you and not giving cause. How would you like to be put in that position. You might have a little sympathy for Spears if you were ever in his shoes.

[Mr. C]

:nonono2: I couldn't disagree more. As the story says ''Spears final campaign was also marked by the opening of an NCAA investigation in January 2006 and then a second internal probe into the drug testing of selected members of the football team that November. The NCAA investigation, apparently focusing on the use of ineligible transfers, continues. Plus, he was 3-8. An NCAA investigation and a losing record was enough cause.
They still didn't give him any cause for his firing. They didn't tell him it was for ANY of the reasons you state. How would you like to be treated like that, Mr. Tiger?

[MACHIAVELLI]

don't they have to show cause? losing isn't cause, he didn't play. investigations aren't cause unless he's implicated. coach spears is not some underhanded person ASFAIK and I don't think he would pursue this without reason. remember certain grambling folks tried to get him by saying he lied on his resume just last year? I'm sure he has his reasons to pursue this.

All true. Louisiana is an "at will" state. But he had a contact which states that he had to be fired to cause. No cause was given.

[R.A.]

He only had one losing season in three seasons, he produced a SWAC Championship, and the NCAA investigation turned up too be invalid... Spears is right. Isn't he a Grambling Alum also?? It's mess up when your own school does you wrong...

[MACHIAVELLI]

He only had one losing season in three seasons, he produced a SWAC Championship, and the NCAA investigation turned up too be invalid... Spears is right. Isn't he a Grambling Alum also?? It's mess up when your own school does you wrong...

He went to Alcorn.

[MACHIAVELLI]

GSU INSTITUTES ATHLETIC SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICY
By GSU Sports Information
February 08, 2007

The Grambling State University Department of Athletics recently adopted a policy for testing its student-athletes for banned substances. The policy is a supplement to and in compliance with the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) drug testing program.
“This new policy is an important step towards protecting the safety and health of our athletes,” said GSU Director of Athletics Troy Mathieu. “The policy will afford us the opportunity to test for just cause, in addition to random testing.”
Under the new policy, GSU student-athletes will be required to sign an agreement allowing for drug testing. The Director of Athletics, the athletic trainer, and a designated faculty representative will manage the program. When drug testing does occur, the University will use an independent laboratory to analyze the results.
Developing new drug-testing procedures was the major recommendation of an independent investigation into the drug testing of Grambling football student-athletes last fall. The Compliance Group, a consulting firm in Lenexa, Kansas, was hired by Grambling to review the drug test that occurred and make recommendations.
The investigation found that the accuracy of the results could not be confirmed with sufficient reliability. Accordingly, the University has ruled all test results invalid. The consultant reported that no violations of NCAA legislation occurred.
“It is important for us to move forward in a positive direction,” said new Head Football Coach Rod Broadway. “Having proper procedures in place ensures the quality of our program and protects our student-athletes.”
Visit www.gsutigers.com/ssp/compliance for a copy of the new university policy or visit www.ncaa.org for information regarding its drug testing program.

GSU Tigers (http://www.gsutigers.com/ssp/news?news_id=101)

[ButlerGSU]

The title of this thread needs to be changed, it's the ICON remember...

xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

[R.A.]

He went to Alcorn.
okay, I was wrong then.

[Mr. C]

GSU INSTITUTES ATHLETIC SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICY
By GSU Sports Information
February 08, 2007

The Grambling State University Department of Athletics recently adopted a policy for testing its student-athletes for banned substances. The policy is a supplement to and in compliance with the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) drug testing program.
“This new policy is an important step towards protecting the safety and health of our athletes,” said GSU Director of Athletics Troy Mathieu. “The policy will afford us the opportunity to test for just cause, in addition to random testing.”
Under the new policy, GSU student-athletes will be required to sign an agreement allowing for drug testing. The Director of Athletics, the athletic trainer, and a designated faculty representative will manage the program. When drug testing does occur, the University will use an independent laboratory to analyze the results.
Developing new drug-testing procedures was the major recommendation of an independent investigation into the drug testing of Grambling football student-athletes last fall. The Compliance Group, a consulting firm in Lenexa, Kansas, was hired by Grambling to review the drug test that occurred and make recommendations.
The investigation found that the accuracy of the results could not be confirmed with sufficient reliability. Accordingly, the University has ruled all test results invalid. The consultant reported that no violations of NCAA legislation occurred.
“It is important for us to move forward in a positive direction,” said new Head Football Coach Rod Broadway. “Having proper procedures in place ensures the quality of our program and protects our student-athletes.”
Visit www.gsutigers.com/ssp/compliance for a copy of the new university policy or visit www.ncaa.org for information regarding its drug testing program.

GSU Tigers (http://www.gsutigers.com/ssp/news?news_id=101)
Thanks for correcting some of the misinformation that some have been circulating that Grambling was facing NCAA violations. It's nice to see facts about a subject instead of inuendo.

[SoCon48]

Thanks for correcting some of the misinformation that some have been circulating that Grambling was facing NCAA violations. It's nice to see facts about a subject instead of inuendo.
Rod Broadway will make Grambling a great head coach. Very knowledgeable, personable and has a great resume.
Hats off to Grambling for making that choice. I've known Rod since 1971.

[Mr. C]

Rod Broadway will make Grambling a great head coach. Very knowledgeable, personable and has a great resume.
Hats off to Grambling for making that choice. I've known Rod since 1971.
Regardless of how Grambling handled things during the Melvin Spears era, I think Rod Broadway is an excellent choice for a new coach. I don't know Broadway personally, but I do know others at NC Central and I know of what he accomplished there. He got NC Central ready for the jump to FCS and he will do an excellent job at Grambling, too.

[MACHIAVELLI]

Spears' attorney, Wade Shows of Baton Rouge, said Grambling's termination letter to his client did not list any cause that led to Spears' firing.

If the termination was for anything other than cause, the university must pay the balance of the contract in monthly payments or in a lump sum payment, Shows said.

=$468,000

[YoUDeeMan]

=$468,000

If the terrmination letter did not give cause, it is a pretty easy case. Pay the man! Cha-ching!

[3rd Coast Tiger]

The title of this thread needs to be changed, it's the ICON remember...

xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

You are absolutely right. :thumbsup:

[Mr. Tiger]

They still didn't give him any cause for his firing. They didn't tell him it was for ANY of the reasons you state. How would you like to be treated like that, Mr. Tiger?

Most employees have less protection than coaches anyway Mr. C. Heck, if I don't perform well at my job and my company starts to investigate me for an alleged wrongdoing, I probably will be fired on the spot and would have to file a lawsuit just like Coach Spears. xlolx But I see your point.

[mikebigg]

Thanks for correcting some of the misinformation that some have been circulating that Grambling was facing NCAA violations. It's nice to see facts about a subject instead of inuendo.

This mentioning of NCAA violations dealt with the drug testing scandal only. It has nothing to do with the NCAA's investigation of whether or not he used ineligible players. Personally, I don't think that he did (use the players) but he might be guilty of allowing them to practice or work out prior to being on scholarship. Most of the transfers were academically ineligible at the institution from which they were leaving. This is what pissed off a lot of folk (current players, former players, alumni, and administration).

But bottomline is this... the relationship went sour fast. Spears can on one hand be very personable and charming and the next he can be one arrogant / mean-azzed vindictive sumbitch. The "random" drug test that he pulled after the homecoming loss was in retaliation against certain players who questioned his playcalling. Plus the alumni and fans were pissed at how the team looked in that game and during the entire season and was roasting his azz in Deriso's blogs. Melvin Spears doesn't take criticism very well...instead of working to queit his critics with a better product, he tried to throw out the product.

I wish him well, a good coach but not suited (yet anyway) to be a head coach. Too image conscious of himself in the wrong way! :twocents:

[MACHIAVELLI]

Most of the transfers were academically ineligible at the institution from which they were leaving. This is what pissed off a lot of folk (current players, former players, alumni, and administration).

Plus the alumni and fans were pissed at how the team looked in that game and during the entire season and was roasting his azz in Deriso's blogs.

:confused: