MIAMI (AP) -- Former Miami coach Randy Shannon is suing his alma mater, saying the university decided to not pay him all that he was guaranteed in his final contract.
Shannon was fired in November 2010 after going 28-22 in four seasons. On Feb. 1, 2010, two deals -- an employment agreement and a guarantee agreement -- both went into effect. The lawsuit states that because those were less than a year old when Shannon was fired, the university decided to prorate the amount of what he was owed in the event of a firing by about one-sixth.
Exact amounts of what Shannon was owed were not detailed in the lawsuit, because terms of the employment agreement requires him to keep the amounts confidential. The lawsuit said Miami has been making monthly payments to Shannon, but at a rate lower than what was stipulated in the coach's contract.
"They are taking a credit for what they contend is an overpayment," said Shannon's attorney, Jack Scarola. "It's our position in the lawsuit that they are not entitled to do that."
Shannon was under contract through Jan. 31, 2014, and was to receive a guaranteed amount per year if he was fired.
Shannon could not be reached for comment. A university spokesman said Miami was declining comment.
The lawsuit further alleges that the school withheld the bonus Shannon should have received for the Hurricanes making the Sun Bowl in 2010. Miami fired Shannon hours after the final game of the 2010 regular season.
"Clearly, the team qualified for the Sun Bowl as a consequence of the record established when he was there," Scarola said.
Shannon, a linebacker for the Hurricanes in the mid-1980s before going to the NFL and then starting a coaching career, is requesting a jury trial.
Online court records do not show if any hearings in the case have been scheduled.
