In 2004, Ohio State University officials announced that they were firing then-coach Jim O'Brien because of NCAA violations that allegedly breached O'Brien's contract with Ohio State. [1] O'Brien was the head coach for the men's basketball team, and was fired for loaning out $6,000 to a foreign player who the University was trying to recruit. [2] He then sued the University for a breach of their employment agreement. On February 15, 2006, Judge Joseph T. Clark of the Ohio Court of Claims ruled that O'Brien was unlawfully fired, despite the fact that he had indeed broken NCAA rules. [3] O'Brien had violated the terms of his contract, but the violations were not serious enough to warrant his firing. [4] This article evaluates the court's decision, and its implications on future contractual relationships between coaches and universities.
The University relied on specific contractual language to support its decision to fire O'Brien.