Overview
- Brian Smith filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit in the Ohio Court of Claims on Friday, seeking about $2.5 million left on his deal.
- Ohio University fired him for cause on Dec. 17 after an administrative review that cited serious professional misconduct.
- Public records listed alleged extramarital relationships, including with a student, and alcohol-related conduct such as office drinking and appearing intoxicated at a public event.
- The suit says the school ended his job in a matter of days without a meaningful investigation and improperly relied on a prior alcohol reprimand.
- Smith’s attorney disputes the claims, saying he was never intoxicated, office bourbon came from the president’s husband, and university rules did not ban consensual relationships with students outside athletics.