OK, this was posted initially on the pay board, but seems to have generated some thoughtful responses there so maybe there will be more here too. Some of the responsive comments regard whether an attorney looking for clients to join in on a 40% contingency fee lawsuit somehow alters Coach Fitzgerald's otherwise lack of culpability. I do note that the statement of the attorney soliciting clients is revealing. He states, "This is not a case about Coach Fitzgerald." This suggests two things. First, the potential claimants already contacted are not accusing Coach Fitzgerald of having knowledge of the "hazing;" and two, that to get other players to consider joining, the assurance is being implied that "we won't be suing your coach." Instead the quoted narrative from the law firm makes reference to some unnamed administrator(s) who may have known.
(As to the 40% contingency I don't know where that came from but at least in my practice I only charge a 40% fee for cases that have a high degrees of risk and difficulty. Of course, not practicing in Illinois I don't know what the norm is there.)
Anyway, here is my posting from over on the other board:
Now that it is has become abundantly clear through Lou's impressive efforts reaching out to past and current players that there was no personal involvement by Coach Fitzgerald in the "hazing" and that asserted clapping by him at games to signal needed punishment was a made up lie by Mr. "Whistleblower" perpetuated by a student newspaper article that even one of the trustees initially endorsed, the case for reinstatement of Coach Fitzgerald emerges.
Apart from being a viable alternative to a likely 50 million plus payout to resolve a wrongful firing lawsuit, it could actually result in some degree of confidence in a University administration that has already demonstrated its ability to modify positions and even save the University President himself being let go by the Board of Trustees.
The fact that Coach Fitzgerald's supporting staff remains in place also makes reinstatement pragmatically possible. We might even see some of those portal players opting back into the program, not to mention how united the team will likely be as they play to win under a coach they clearly revered and respected and recognize to have been wronged.
(As to the 40% contingency I don't know where that came from but at least in my practice I only charge a 40% fee for cases that have a high degrees of risk and difficulty. Of course, not practicing in Illinois I don't know what the norm is there.)
Anyway, here is my posting from over on the other board:
Now that it is has become abundantly clear through Lou's impressive efforts reaching out to past and current players that there was no personal involvement by Coach Fitzgerald in the "hazing" and that asserted clapping by him at games to signal needed punishment was a made up lie by Mr. "Whistleblower" perpetuated by a student newspaper article that even one of the trustees initially endorsed, the case for reinstatement of Coach Fitzgerald emerges.
Apart from being a viable alternative to a likely 50 million plus payout to resolve a wrongful firing lawsuit, it could actually result in some degree of confidence in a University administration that has already demonstrated its ability to modify positions and even save the University President himself being let go by the Board of Trustees.
The fact that Coach Fitzgerald's supporting staff remains in place also makes reinstatement pragmatically possible. We might even see some of those portal players opting back into the program, not to mention how united the team will likely be as they play to win under a coach they clearly revered and respected and recognize to have been wronged.
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