Former Ohio State men's basketball coach Jim O'Brien won his lawsuit against the university. O'Brien sued O-S-U after he was fired in 2004.
Ohio State fired Jim O'Brien nearly two years ago because of $6,000 loan he made in 1998 to a basketball player from the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In his ruling, Ohio Court of Claims Judge Joseph Clark agreed that the loan violated O'Brien's contract, but he said it did not warrant his termination. O'Brien said today he's happy with the verdict, but disappointed he had to go to court.
I'm thrilled with this decision, don't get me wrong. But this has not been great for me and I'm not happy we had to go through this," O'Brien said.
O'Brien sued for $3.5 million in lost wages and benefits. A decision on monetary damages has not been made yet, but with interest and penalties, an award could amount to nearly $9.5 million.
In a written statement, Ohio State's general counsel Christopher Culley said the university 'respectfully disagreed' with the ruling. OSU President Karen Holbrook said the University had acted "forthrightly in compliance with NCAA rules." An appeal cannot be made until the trial process is complete. Sam Hendren, WOSU News.