While the legal battle between Auburn University and former head baseball coach Sunny Golloway is not over, a federal judge has dismissed the case and ruled in favor of the defendants.
The Auburn Board of Trustees, Athletic Director Jay Jacobs, former CEO David Benedict, Senior Associate Athletic Director Rich McGlynn, former Director of Baseball Operations Scott Duval and Baseball Administrator Jeremy Roberts are the defendants. They filed a motion on June 17, 2016, to dismiss a complaint originally filed by Golloway.
That complaint filed by the former coach accuses the defendants of breach of contract, defamation, fraud and tortuous interference with his contract after his dismissal with cause as Auburn’s head baseball coach on Sept. 27, 2015.
On March 21, United States Magistrate Judge Charles S. Coody recommended that the defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint be granted and that the case be dismissed with prejudice. This means that the judge’s ruling means that the case is dismissed permanently.
“The magistrate judge's recommendation verified what we've said from the beginning, which is there is no validity to Coach Golloway's claims,” the university said in a statement provided to the Opelika-Auburn News on Wednesday.
The Opelika-Auburn News obtained a letter in early February, in which the NCAA Office of the Committees on Infractions stated it has no record of Golloway “having past involvement in any Level I/Level II/major NCAA infractions” during his two seasons as Auburn's head coach, clearing him of wronging doing.
Auburn University countered by saying the dismissal of Golloway with cause was accepted by both the NCAA and SEC.
“The NCAA recently closed its investigation and found four Level III violations," the university said in a statement in February. "Auburn’s dismissal of Coach Golloway and some members of the baseball staff was accepted by the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA, which determined no further action was required. No members of the current baseball staff were associated or involved in those violations, and we look forward to the coming season under Coach Thompson.”
"Coach Golloway knowingly and repeatedly broke Auburn and NCAA rules, including an attempt to destroy evidence of his violations," Auburn officials said in a release to the Opelika-Auburn News after the suit was filed. "We appreciated his coaching skills, but his actions left us no choice but to dismiss him from his position. He now seems to be using legal action in an attempt to divert attention away from his own misconduct."
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