Ex-coach sues to get job back
Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007 @ 2:10 am
Former Nevada soccer coach Terri Patraw filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging she was terminated in August by director of athletics Cary Groth in retaliation for complaining about discrimination against the soccer team and for reporting NCAA violations allegedly committed by other coaches in the athletic department.Patraw, who lists Groth, university president Milton Glick, UNR general counsel Mary Dugan and the Nevada System of Higher Education as defendants, is seeking financial restitution and her job back.
The former coach has also filed for protection under whistleblower laws from the university. And while Patraw’s lawsuit does not name anyone outside of the defendants, the university’s motion to dismiss lists an excerpt from Patraw’s whistleblower complaint that names people who allegedly violated NCAA regulations, Title IX regulations or the UNR ethics code, or allowed violations to happen. Groth, executive associate athletics director Cindy Fox, associate athletics director Keith Hackett, men’s golf coach Rich Merritt and assistant football coach Cameron Norcross are listed.
Groth said, however, those allegations are not why Patraw was terminated, though she would not elaborate.
“I know why we terminated coach Patraw, and it was not for those reasons,” Groth said.
University of Nevada, Reno president Milton Glick did not comment on the lawsuit, but said that all of the alleged violations had been investigated and reported to the NCAA.
“Obviously we don’t talk about lawsuits other than that we think we’ve followed up on any reports she’s made on NCAA infringements,” Glick said. “We’ve investigated them and reported them to the NCAA. But we can’t comment on legal matters.”
In the meantime, Groth is moving forward with plans to permanently fill the coaching role that Antoinette Marjanovic assumed on an interim basis this season despite Patraw’s impending whistleblower hearing on January 17 at the Joe Crowley Student Union (whistleblower complaints can grant legal protection to state employees who call attention to wrongdoing by other state employees).
“All I can tell you is we are initiating a national search to find a coach for the women’s soccer team,” Groth said.
Reno attorney Jeffrey Dickerson, who is also representing University of Nevada, Reno professor Hussein S. Hussein in his lawsuits against the university, filed Patraw’s lawsuit Thursday just hours after the Nevada soccer team’s season came to an end after a loss to Fresno State in the WAC tournament.
The lawsuit said that Groth feared that Patraw would take her concerns outside the university, which was a “motivating factor for her termination.”
“This is about more than me,” Patraw said. “This about righting a wrong, this about standing up for my student athletes, this about standing up for anybody who has been wrongfully fired.”
Patraw lost her job on August 28 just three days before the Wolf Pack started its regular season. Last season, she led the Wolf Pack to a program-best 13-5-4 record and its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in the program’s seventh year.
Patraw also received complimentary marks in evaluations viewed by The Nevada Sagebrush. In peer evaluations from 2006-2007 that rate coaches from “unsatisfactory” to “extraordinary,” Patraw’s ratings almost completely fell under the “commendable” and “excellent” range. Patraw rated 4.5 or above in every category of another peer review judged on a five-point scale.
Patraw was evaluated as “commendable” – the second highest rating behind “excellent” – in each of the last three years in administrative evaluations signed by Cindy Fox. She is also described as a “team player” in the comments section of the review.
“When Cary fired me she told me, ‘You are a great, great coach. Nobody can deny that,’” Patraw said. “She said ‘I just need to move on.’”
The lawsuit said that Patraw is seeking restitution for personal damages, damage to her career and reputation, and lost wages and benefits. The lawsuit also claims that Groth made defamatory remarks about her.
The lawsuit alleges that Groth told third parties that “Terri’s not your friend and she’s going to take us all down.”
Dickerson said he expects a January 2009 court date for the main lawsuit. While Patraw is seeking restitution for legal fees and lost wages, she said her main priority is getting her job back.
“We tried to look out for the best interests of the university,” she said. “I love the university. I just want my job back.”
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© 2008 The Nevada Sagebrush
November 14th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Patraw is desperate.
November 14th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
She has rights and her impact on the team is obvious. Let the court decide who is right.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Get your job back. This team needs you badly. The assistants are in over their head. This was the worst season imaginable. My daughter said she hates soccer after one season with Netty in charge. Fire Groth and get rid of coach marjanovic.