WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court declined today to hear an
appeal from two former Alabama assistant football coaches who lost
their jobs following an NCAA investigation of the Crimson Tide's
football program.
The justices rejected the case of Ronnie Cottrell and Ivy
Williams without comment.
Cottrell and Williams sued the NCAA and recruiting analyst Tom
Culpepper for defamation, claiming they were unable to find
comparable employment following the NCAA's investigation of
Alabama. The football program was placed on probation and received
other sanctions for rules violations.
Cottrell won a $30 million judgment against Culpepper, but the
trial judge threw out the verdict and ordered a new trial. The
Alabama Supreme Court upheld that ruling, as well as others that
eliminated Williams as a plaintiff and the NCAA as a defendant.
Cottrell still is entitled to a new trial, but could find it
harder to prove his claims under the Alabama high court ruling.
The case is Cottrell v. NCAA, 07-288.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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