Probably many of you will be tired of hearing about this story again, but it's still in the news, so...Fyi.
I've been wondering lately what was happening with JRob lately, and whether he might be thinking about legal action against the U. I saw this today in the Pioneer Press, so it looks like he's involved in an appeals process that's challenging his firing and aiming to recover money that he would be owed from a buyout.
Here's the article from www.twincities.com:
J Robinson, U working toward appeal hearing
Gophers wrestling coach J Robinson (Pioneer Press file photo)
Pioneer Press
John Shipley
March 6, 2017 at 6:00 pm
The grievance process of fired University of Minnesota wrestling coach J Robinson is moving toward an appeals hearing through the U’s Office for Conflict Resolution.
The U is in the process of empanelling a three-person committee to hear arguments from Robinson’s legal team and the athletics department, Robinson’s contract adviser James Bock said Monday. Athletics director Mark Coyle fired Robinson on Sept. 8 for what he characterized as a failure to cooperate with a school investigation into drug use and sales among his wrestlers
Robinson, 70, was dismissed with cause — meaning the U deemed itself free of any financial obligation — for his role. If it’s determined the school did not have cause to fire Robinson, he likely would be owed a buyout of more than $500,000. He was under contract through 2020 and owed roughly $150,000 a year in base salary and additional compensation.
It’s unclear whether Robinson is interested in getting his job back. He has been replaced by former Gophers wrestler and Robinson assistant coach Brandon Eggum, 40, whose interim tag was removed on Jan. 26.
Bock said he expects a pre-hearing meeting in April. The panel will be composed of a chair and a person chosen by each side in the case. The next and final step in the process would be a hearing with the State Appeals Court.
In 30 years, Robinson’s teams earned three NCAA team titles and 124 All-America honors. Under Eggum this season, the Gophers finished 7-5 in dual meets, and placed fifth at the Big Ten Conference tournament. Nine Gophers qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Last March, Robinson informed superiors he was concerned about possible drug use by some of his wrestlers, and the entire team was drug-tested on March 22. On April 7, the school received a confidential EthicsPoint complaint alleging that some U wrestlers were taking and selling the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, a controlled substance.
The complaint further alleged that Robinson confiscated illegal drugs and told wrestlers he could get them “amnesty,” something Coyle cited as grounds for dismissal during a news conference announcing his decision.
A University of Minnesota Police Department investigation was launched, the results of which were forwarded to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which declined to file charges. But Coyle said Robinson was not forthcoming during an investigation by the school’s Office of General Counsel.
Robinson was fired, Coyle said on Sept. 8, because he failed to fully share his suspicions that several of his wrestlers were using and selling the prescription anti-anxiety drug Xanax, then obstructed school and university police investigations by disposing of drugs confiscated from wrestlers and refusing to answer what Coyle called “important questions.”
A U spokesman said Monday that Coyle is unable to comment, and the U’s Office for Conflict Resolution did not reply an interview request. Last fall, four Gophers wrestlers — Tommy Thorn, Larry Early, Brandon Krone and Ethan Lizak — were suspended from competing with the team until January for violating team rules.
The U would not specify what rules were broken. During the suspension, the athletes were allowed to practice with the team.
I've been wondering lately what was happening with JRob lately, and whether he might be thinking about legal action against the U. I saw this today in the Pioneer Press, so it looks like he's involved in an appeals process that's challenging his firing and aiming to recover money that he would be owed from a buyout.
Here's the article from www.twincities.com:
J Robinson, U working toward appeal hearing
Gophers wrestling coach J Robinson (Pioneer Press file photo)
Pioneer Press
John Shipley
March 6, 2017 at 6:00 pm
The grievance process of fired University of Minnesota wrestling coach J Robinson is moving toward an appeals hearing through the U’s Office for Conflict Resolution.
The U is in the process of empanelling a three-person committee to hear arguments from Robinson’s legal team and the athletics department, Robinson’s contract adviser James Bock said Monday. Athletics director Mark Coyle fired Robinson on Sept. 8 for what he characterized as a failure to cooperate with a school investigation into drug use and sales among his wrestlers
Robinson, 70, was dismissed with cause — meaning the U deemed itself free of any financial obligation — for his role. If it’s determined the school did not have cause to fire Robinson, he likely would be owed a buyout of more than $500,000. He was under contract through 2020 and owed roughly $150,000 a year in base salary and additional compensation.
It’s unclear whether Robinson is interested in getting his job back. He has been replaced by former Gophers wrestler and Robinson assistant coach Brandon Eggum, 40, whose interim tag was removed on Jan. 26.
Bock said he expects a pre-hearing meeting in April. The panel will be composed of a chair and a person chosen by each side in the case. The next and final step in the process would be a hearing with the State Appeals Court.
In 30 years, Robinson’s teams earned three NCAA team titles and 124 All-America honors. Under Eggum this season, the Gophers finished 7-5 in dual meets, and placed fifth at the Big Ten Conference tournament. Nine Gophers qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Last March, Robinson informed superiors he was concerned about possible drug use by some of his wrestlers, and the entire team was drug-tested on March 22. On April 7, the school received a confidential EthicsPoint complaint alleging that some U wrestlers were taking and selling the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, a controlled substance.
The complaint further alleged that Robinson confiscated illegal drugs and told wrestlers he could get them “amnesty,” something Coyle cited as grounds for dismissal during a news conference announcing his decision.
A University of Minnesota Police Department investigation was launched, the results of which were forwarded to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which declined to file charges. But Coyle said Robinson was not forthcoming during an investigation by the school’s Office of General Counsel.
Robinson was fired, Coyle said on Sept. 8, because he failed to fully share his suspicions that several of his wrestlers were using and selling the prescription anti-anxiety drug Xanax, then obstructed school and university police investigations by disposing of drugs confiscated from wrestlers and refusing to answer what Coyle called “important questions.”
A U spokesman said Monday that Coyle is unable to comment, and the U’s Office for Conflict Resolution did not reply an interview request. Last fall, four Gophers wrestlers — Tommy Thorn, Larry Early, Brandon Krone and Ethan Lizak — were suspended from competing with the team until January for violating team rules.
The U would not specify what rules were broken. During the suspension, the athletes were allowed to practice with the team.
