The attorney for former Alabama State University Head Football Coach Reggie Barlow has vowed to file a lawsuit against the school after the university’s board of trustees voted to not renew his client’s contract.
The firing was controversial in many ways. Barlow signed a new three-year contract just before the termination, but the contract was pending.
Attorney Donald Jackson said he will sue the president, athletic director and board members for terminating a legally valid contract.
“Coach Barlow’s non-renewal is the most recent act in a sad, pathetic history of institutional ineptitude by this University’s administration and Board,” he said in a statement. “The recent criminal investigations, SACS investigation and removal of Board members are further examples of the degree of incompetence and unconscionable dishonesty that have permeated the administration of this University for decades.”
Jackson contends Barlow was advised that his final work day at Alabama State University would be December 31, 2014.
He added that Barlow and his staff “have performed extraordinarily well under trying circumstances, which included his inheriting NCAA sanctions, APR sanctions that resulted from the University’s failure to adequately fund the academic support system for student-athletes, repeatedly losing key players due to academic ineligibility resulting from the University’s failure to adequately fund the Compliance Department, losing key Assistant Coaches due to the University’s failure to adequately compensate Assistant Coaches, inability to compete for high level student-athletes due to the public relations fallout from the ongoing administrative turmoil, criminal investigations and SACS investigation and having served under multiple Presidents and Athletic Directors (none with a vision for or the most elementary understanding of collegiate athletics). Notwithstanding that, Coach Barlow set a University standard for consecutive winning seasons in the Alabama State program.”
Barlow spoke to the media recently, telling them:
“The worst part about all this, the president I sat with looked me in my eye and told me this was going to be done. She said it was wrong that they hadn’t given you a raise and haven’t given you a contract. I haven’t received one phone call or conversation from her.”
