U.S. District Judge William Wilson ruled Thursday that the UA did not discriminate against former men’s basketball coach Nolan Richardson when it fired him in 2002.
In a 47-page decision released at about 1 p.m., Wilson dismissed Richardson’s case against the UA with prejudice.
In his decision, Wilson said that while he was satisfied that Richardson’s belief that he was fired because of race and for speaking out about race was sincere, the evidence was not in Richardson’s favor. But Wilson said the record is “a long way from devoid of evidence which could cause him to hold these beliefs.” Wilson also said Richardson’s case was not about money but “wounded pride.”
Richardson or John Walker, Richardson’s attorney, was not immediately available for comment, although Walker told reporters minutes before Wilson handed down his decision that the decision was “negative” for Richardson.
Thursday’s long-awaited ruling closes one chapter of Richardson’s discrimination trial against the UA. The ruling was originally scheduled to be released at 11:45 a.m.
UA attorney Phil Kaplan has scheduled a news conference at his office for about 1:30 p.m. Arkansasbusiness.com will update this story.
‘Not About Money’
In his three-part conclusion, Wilson wrote:
• “I am satisfied … that Coach Richardson believes … that he was fired because of his race, and because he spoke out on that subject. … [W]hile I do not believe the evidence of racial bias or impingement of free speech preponderates in favor of the Plaintiff, the record is long from devoid of incidents which could cause him to hold these beliefs.”
• “The lawsuit is not about money in the pejorative sense. It is primarily about wounded pride … This case is no more “all about money” than is the lawsuit of a person who has been maimed by a drunken driver. I reject this suggestion out-of-hand.”
• “As I expressed … during the trial, I do not accept the notion that someone who draws a good salary, and who thinks he has been wrongly fired, should ‘take his contract money and run.’ A high achiever who earns a high wage is just as entitled to the protections afforded him by our Constitution and statutes as is the middle- or low-income person. The Constitution is ‘collar’ blind as well as a color blind.”
Click here to download a printable PDF copy of Wilson’s decision. (Document requires Adobe Acrobat viewer. Click here for a free copy.)
Controversial Comments
The university fired Richardson in 2002 after Richardson made controversial public statements, including that the UA, local media and the state are racist. Richardson also made public statements to the effect that the UA could buy out his contract and end his employment any time it was ready.
Richardson subsequently filed a lawsuit claiming the university fired him because he is black and outspoken. The university denied Richardson’s allegations, saying it fired the coach because he seemed to have lost faith in the program.
Wilson heard 18 days of testimony in the nonjury trial in May and June. Witnesses on the stand included UA Athletic Director Frank Broyles; UA Chancellor John White; KATV-TV, Channel 7, sports anchor Paul Eels; broadcaster Mike Nail; former UA sports information officer Rick Schaeffer; UA football coach Houston Nutt; former UA men’s basketball coach Eddie Sutton; and Richardson himself.
Richardson is seeking $9 million in lost wages and damages for harm to his reputation, mental and emotional stress and legal fees. But he has said he would not return to the UA as long as Frank Broyles, athletic director, remained.
More on the Richardson Trial
• UA fires Richardson.
• Effects of the Richardson trial are difficult to predict, but most legal scholars say the case isn’t likely to break much ground.
• Quick Archive Search, featuring daily updates of the trial, at Nolan Richardson
(With reporting by Chip Taulbee.)
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