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Recruiting comment upset supervisorAssociated Press
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Southern University has fired basketball coach Michael Grant, who riled the school last month while interviewing for another head coaching job.
Grant was given a letter Wednesday from Southern chancellor Edward Jackson, said his attorney, Nikki Essix-Manuel. Grant, who has one year left on a three-year contract, was temporarily appointed assistant athletic director until his termination date on May 15.
The school gave Grant the choice of resigning or appealing the termination. The appeal is set for May 9 before the school's athletic committee, Essix-Manuel said.
Jackson said he would not comment until a news conference Thursday.
Southern has the right to fire Grant and not pay him his base salary for the third year of his contract if it can establish cause for dismissal. Grant had interviewed for the head coaching job as one of three finalists at Youngstown State earlier this month.
Tony Clayton, a member of the Southern board of supervisors, took exception to Grant's remark to the Ohio media that, if hired, he would use Youngstown State's two available scholarships to sign junior college players.
"That's the part that disturbs me more than anything," Clayton said at the time. "We paid for him to recruit for Southern."
Grant sent letters of apology to board members and others in the Southern administration.
Southern athletic director Floyd Kerr said Youngstown State had followed proper channels in asking Kerr for permission to talk to Grant.
"Southern is a great school, but he wanted to look at another opportunity," Wade Shows, another of Grant's attorneys, said. "That's all he was doing. He has not been disloyal. He's done everything to fulfill his contract."
"Southern ought to be proud other schools are looking at their personnel, not punish somebody who's trying to better himself," Shows said.
The school, which has had five straight losing seasons, will be searching for its fourth head basketball coach in six seasons. Grant has a base salary of $76,000, along with a $12,000 housing allowance and the use of a courtesy car.
Grant, who inherited a program that had back-to-back 20-loss seasons for the first time in school history, went 26-31 in two seasons. The team finished 14-15 last season, its best finish since the 1999-2000 season and reached the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2001.
Recruiting comment upset supervisorAssociated Press
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Southern University has fired basketball coach Michael Grant, who riled the school last month while interviewing for another head coaching job.
Grant was given a letter Wednesday from Southern chancellor Edward Jackson, said his attorney, Nikki Essix-Manuel. Grant, who has one year left on a three-year contract, was temporarily appointed assistant athletic director until his termination date on May 15.
The school gave Grant the choice of resigning or appealing the termination. The appeal is set for May 9 before the school's athletic committee, Essix-Manuel said.
Jackson said he would not comment until a news conference Thursday.
Southern has the right to fire Grant and not pay him his base salary for the third year of his contract if it can establish cause for dismissal. Grant had interviewed for the head coaching job as one of three finalists at Youngstown State earlier this month.
Tony Clayton, a member of the Southern board of supervisors, took exception to Grant's remark to the Ohio media that, if hired, he would use Youngstown State's two available scholarships to sign junior college players.
"That's the part that disturbs me more than anything," Clayton said at the time. "We paid for him to recruit for Southern."
Grant sent letters of apology to board members and others in the Southern administration.
Southern athletic director Floyd Kerr said Youngstown State had followed proper channels in asking Kerr for permission to talk to Grant.
"Southern is a great school, but he wanted to look at another opportunity," Wade Shows, another of Grant's attorneys, said. "That's all he was doing. He has not been disloyal. He's done everything to fulfill his contract."
"Southern ought to be proud other schools are looking at their personnel, not punish somebody who's trying to better himself," Shows said.
The school, which has had five straight losing seasons, will be searching for its fourth head basketball coach in six seasons. Grant has a base salary of $76,000, along with a $12,000 housing allowance and the use of a courtesy car.
Grant, who inherited a program that had back-to-back 20-loss seasons for the first time in school history, went 26-31 in two seasons. The team finished 14-15 last season, its best finish since the 1999-2000 season and reached the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2001.
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