Huggins calls resignation letter ‘false statement’

The potential authorized battle between Bob Huggins and West Virginia continued to construct Monday, with Huggins releasing a press release saying he by no means submitted a resignation discover to the varsity and may due to this fact nonetheless be employed as the varsity’s head males’s basketball coach.

A June 17 announcement launched by the varsity and attributed to Huggins mentioned he was stepping down following his arrest the evening earlier than on a cost of driving beneath the affect. The arrest got here simply six weeks after Huggins used an anti-gay slur in a radio interview, which resulted in a three-game suspension and $1 million wage discount.

Nonetheless, in his assertion on Monday, Huggins mentioned the June 17 announcement was not written by him.

“I didn’t draft or evaluation WVU’s assertion,” Huggins wrote. “This false assertion was despatched beneath my title, however no signature is included. … I’m employed by WVU pursuant to an Employment Settlement. I by no means submitted the discover required beneath the Employment Settlement to voluntarily resign.”

He additionally wrote that he didn’t inform his gamers of his resolution to resign at a June 17 assembly, telling them solely that he didn’t know what was going to occur.

Huggins added that he voluntarily checked right into a rehabilitation middle and plans to stay there till he is “cleared to return to [his] lively teaching duties.”

Final week, David A. Campbell, an legal professional representing Huggins, sent a letter to West Virginia saying Huggins’ resignation e-mail got here from Huggins’ spouse, June Huggins. In consequence, Campbell claimed, Huggins by no means formally resigned.

In response, West Virginia instructed Campbell it doesn’t plan to reinstate Huggins.

“Furthermore, if Mr. Huggins or his counsel makes an attempt to publicly counsel that he one way or the other didn’t resign and retire from his place, please be suggested that the College will swiftly and aggressively defend itself from these spurious allegations,” wrote Stephanie D. Taylor, vp and normal counsel for the college.

Campbell responded to Taylor in one other letter Monday, saying that Huggins’ employment settlement requires Huggins to ship written discover of his resignation to the varsity’s athletic director and normal counsel.

“Accordingly, primarily based on the plain language of the Employment Settlement and clear West Virginia regulation, an e-mail from Coach Huggins’ spouse to Steve Uryasz, WVU’s Deputy Athletics Director, will not be efficient discover of resignation beneath the Employment Settlement,” he wrote.

Taylor and West Virginia responded on Monday evening to Campbell’s second letter, reiterating the college’s stance that Huggins certainly resigned and it’ll not reinstate him as head coach, whereas additionally calling Campbell and Huggins’ assertions “meritless” and “opposite to the documented proof.”

The college offered a timeline of the weekend of June 16-18, citing conversations and correspondence between the varsity and James Gianola, Huggins’ lawyer. In line with Taylor’s letter, Gianola knowledgeable West Virginia on the evening of June 17 that Huggins deliberate to resign and retire, then requested if the college would settle for his resignation by way of an e-mail despatched by his spouse. The varsity additionally says Huggins particularly instructed his gamers on the evening of June 17 that he was resigning.

Gianola additionally reviewed and accredited of Huggins’ resignation announcement that was launched by the college, in keeping with Taylor. Huggins cleaned out his workplace on Sunday, June 18.

“In different phrases, to the extent you might be suggesting that the resignation of Mr. Huggins didn’t strictly and technically adjust to the provisions of the Employment Settlement, WVU nonetheless has accepted his unequivocal resignation, and WVU has not and isn’t requiring a unique type of discover beneath the Employment Settlement,” Taylor wrote. “We accepted his resignation within the kind requested by counsel to Mr. Huggins. There isn’t any assist within the regulation of on these information to counsel that Mr. Huggins could now ignore his resignation and his actions upon which all have relied, undo his voluntary separation, and return to work as if none of this ever occurred.”