North Idaho College (NIC) Wrestling Coach Pat Whitcomb has filed an intent to sue the school and others, after he was fired earlier this year.
Whitcomb, who has had a stellar record in terms of wins, losses and championships, claims he was a victim of “unlawful discrimination, reputation harm, retaliation and misconduct,” by NIC administration after speaking out against the school on several fronts, including facility access for handicapped student-athletes and a pattern of sexual assaults at the school.
“Until 2016, he was treated as a valued member of the North Idaho College community, and especially the Athletic Department,” Whitcomb’s attorney, James Piotrowski, alleged in the complaint. “That changes when Whitcomb incorrectly assumed that NIC administrators shared his commitment to complying with and fulfilling the laws of the state and federal government.”
In particular, Whitcomb pointed to complaints he made that Hasaan Hawthorne, a double amputee wrestler who was a freshman at NIC in 2016, was not being accommodated.
The school has maintained that he was terminated because of academic integrity violations.
Whitcomb maintains that he was called into a meeting Jan. 7 and given the option of resigning or being fired. When he decided not to resign, he he was given poor evaluations, allegedly for speaking out.
