David Beaty sues Kansas for breach of contract as KU says he potentially committed NCAA violations
Former Kansas coach David Beaty believes the school is trying to get out of paying his buyout. The school says he’s under investigation for possible NCAA violations.
Beaty filed a lawsuit against his former employer in federal court on Tuesday. In it, he says Kansas owes him the $3 million he’s supposed to get after he was fired just before the end of the 2018 season. Beaty coached the full season and has been replaced at the school by former LSU coach Les Miles.
According to an email sent out by Beaty’s attorneys announcing the suit, the coach alleges that “Kansas Athletics officials immediately began discussing what it would take to avoid the $3 million payout, emphasizing the need to find ‘something’ on Beaty such as a ‘dead hooker in [his closet.]'”
SB Nation obtained a copy of the lawsuit. It claims that athletic director Jeff Long and another KU staffer said that they needed to find a way to get out of paying Beaty’s buyout.
“In the days and weeks that followed [Beaty’s firing], and on more than one occasion and in the presence of multiple KU and/or Kansas Athletics employees, AD Long and at least one other senior Kansas Athletics official commented that they needed to ‘find something on Coach Beaty,’ so that they might avoid having to pay him the contractually owed $3 million dollars.”
Additionally, Beaty’s suit alleges that Kansas told him in December that it wouldn’t make the buyout payments to him until a school investigation into allegations against a football staffer had been complete. Beaty’s attorneys say he has cooperated with the investigation and that Kansas has breached Beaty’s contract by not making the payments.
KU: NCAA is leading investigation into allegations
Kansas disagrees with the assertion that Beaty has cooperated. Beaty’s lawyers said the coach “was informed that KU had initiated an investigation into allegations involving a member of the football staff.” According to Kansas, he’s that member of the football staff.
“Beaty was informed he would not be retained by KU on Nov. 4, 2018, but would be able to coach the remaining games. Immediately following the end of the season, Kansas Athletics staff conducted standard exit interviews of all football coaches and staff, and through that process we learned of possible NCAA violations allegedly committed by Beaty,” a Kansas statement said. “KU contacted the NCAA and the Big 12 Conference and began an investigation into the matter. Beaty refused to cooperate with the KU review and, ultimately, the NCAA took the lead in the still-ongoing investigation.
“Due to the nature of the allegations, which, if true, would be in violation of the terms of Beaty’s contract, the university has withheld payment of money owed to Beaty pending the outcome of the NCAA investigation. In a show of good faith, the university has placed the full amount owed in escrow.”
Beaty was 6-42 at KU
Beaty was hired before the 2015 season after serving as the wide receivers coach at Texas A&M. He won just six games in his four seasons at Kansas. Half of those wins came in 2018, when Kansas was 3-9. It was the best season for KU football since the season before Beaty was hired.
Long took over as KU’s AD in 2018 and immediately hired Miles, who was an assistant coach at Michigan when Long worked at the school.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
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