(By Keith Taylor)
The cloud has been lifted.
Since he was dismissed as men’s basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, Billy Gillispie was adamant about the school paying out the remainder of his so-called contract or memorandum of understanding. Gillispie sued Kentucky in Texas. Kentucky countersued in the Bluegrass.
A question of interest since Gillispie was let go was whether or not the memorandum was an actual contract, considering both parties never signed a long-term deal.
The two sides reached a settlement Tuesday, a good thing for both parties. Gillispie can move on with a little cash in hand, while the University of Kentucky Athletic Association doesn’t have to worry about the matter spilling over into John Calipari’s first season as coach. It will also help Gillispie the future when he decides to take another tour of duty as a coach in the collegiate ranks.
According to a release by the university, the agreement was “accomplished through a voluntary mediation process, is a fair and final settlement and resolves all litigation between the parties.”
"We settled for $3.25 million paid in 15 days in a lump sum," said Demetrios Anaipakos, Gillispie's attorney, in an interview with FOX 26 Sports in Houston.
"Coach Gillispie is glad to have this matter behind him and looks forward to coaching again soon. He never wanted to sue anyone, but he felt he had no choice.
"Although the decision to sue was a difficult one for him, the fact a settlement was reached at a much higher dollar amount that coach Gillispie was ever offered by the school vindicates his decision."
The involved parties also avoided a court date, which Gillispie and the school really wanted if the truth be known. Although the belief here is that Kentucky would have likely won the suit, Gillispie hindered his case after getting pulled over and arrested for a DUI in Anderson County last month.
The arrest apparently was a wake-up call for Gillispie, who later checked into rehab and is allegedly on the road to recovery, a good thing for the former Kentucky coach. Anyone who realizes a problem and steps up the challenge of addressing the issue before it gets out of hand deserves some credit.
While he was at Kentucky, rumors of Gillispie’s alleged drinking problems were rampant. It’s not known for a fact that Gillispie had a drinking problem, but his recent arrest likely pinpointed an issue.
As for Kentucky, the school still has to fork out some cash, but the fact that the case is over has to be a sigh of relief for the entire university and those involved in the suit.
When Calipari was hired in April, Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart made it a point to indicate that both parties had a signed contract in hand instead of a joint agreement in principal.
Calipari is signed, sealed and delivered. I know, because I have a copy of the contract.