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Diving coach lawsuit moves to federal court

By Erin Buzuvis, Sudha Setty, and Kristine Newhall

We blogged about the lawsuit filed by former Texas A&M diving coach Kevin Wright when he filed for wrongful termination in state court under a whistleblower protection statute in Texas. At that time we wondered whether there would also be a Title IX retaliation claim.
There is now--because Wright has moved his case to federal court. As a brief reminder, Wright, who had served 17 seasons as the diving coach, was terminated last September. He alleges that it was because he complained about Title IX violations.
Wright said that a diver was asked to lie about travel accommodations to an investigator examining gender equity within the department. Said diver heard a female swimmer actually lie in the interview. Wright complained about the inequitable travel arrangements. He also expressed concerns over potential recruiting violations.
The university, should this go to court, is likely to accuse Wright of anger management issues and potential sexual harassment of a fellow coach. The validity of these counter accusations is, of course, unknown.
No word on trial dates or negotiations.

Full post as published by Title IX Blog on March 04, 2010 (boomark / email).