Gannon and the fired basketball coach settle his lawsuit. “Very satisfied,” says his lawyer

The former Gannon University men’s basketball coach has settled his lawsuit over his firing, ending a dispute that moved from basketball court to Erie County Common Pleas Court.

The terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Former coach Kelvin Jefferson sued Gannon in April 2023, 10 days after the 4,200-student university in downtown Erie terminated his contract in late March after he posted a 3-23 record in the 2022-23 season.

Jefferson, who coached the Division II Golden Knights for four years, claimed breach of contract. Gannon denied the claims and asked a judge to rule in his favor.

When the lawsuit was settled, it was still in preliminary proceedings. Jefferson’s attorneys, John Mizner and Joseph Caulfield, ended the litigation on Jan. 31 by filing a notice that the case had been settled and dismissed.

The announcement provides no information about the settlement. Mizner said the deal prohibits him from disclosing financial details.

“Coach Jefferson is very pleased with the way Gannon University settled his claim and wishes the Knights continued success on and off the field,” Mizner said.

A spokesman for Gannon said the university would have no comment.

The legal dispute concerned the takeover of an ex-coach

According to his LinkedIn account, Jefferson, 52, now lives in North Carolina, where he specializes in fundraising. When the school fired him, his annual salary at Gannon was $106,184.

Gannon fired Jefferson a year after what he thought was a four-year contract extension. The terms of the agreement became a central part of his lawsuit.

Jefferson never denied in the lawsuit that Gannon could fire him. But he claimed that Gannon had to buy him out. He said Gannon’s dismissal as coach would still have to honor the remainder of his extension, a period of three years and three months.

When Jefferson was fired, according to the lawsuit, Gannon asked him to sign a release that would have paid him through June 30, 2023, in exchange for him agreeing not to sue for breach of contract or other claims.

Jefferson refused to sign the release and rejected Gannon’s offer to resign rather than be fired, the lawsuit said. It claimed that Jefferson “did not choose to resign because he had done absolutely nothing wrong and had not violated any of his obligations to Gannon University.”

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Gains and losses are part of litigation

The lawsuit alleged that nothing in what Jefferson described as his contract required him to achieve a specific record in order for him to remain the men’s basketball coach at Gannon.

In response, Gannon’s attorneys, Jamie Schumacher and Lauren Holler, argued that the university did not breach its contract when it fired Jefferson. Gannon said he is a freelancer hired through an engagement letter rather than a standard contract.

The lawyers also said the university has the right to reflect on wins and losses in firing Jefferson. They detailed the reasons Gannon said led to his termination.

“There is no basis that a win-loss record is not a factor in a college coach’s performance,” the attorneys said in their lawsuit. The filing said: “Gannon University terminated Jefferson for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons.”

“Jefferson had issues with the Gannon University men’s basketball team, both on and off the court, for a variety of reasons,” the filing states.

The “performance deficiencies” included not only poor performances due to his 3rd and 23rd seasons, but also his continued subpar performances in previous seasons, the filing said. “In addition, several players entered the transfer portal, indicating poor student-athlete retention and student-athlete conduct issues.”

“In addition, team performance metrics such as team GPA and service participation illustrate unsatisfactory fulfillment of position responsibilities.”

Jefferson came to Gannon from Virginia

In his four seasons at Gannon, Jefferson posted a 41-53 record and appeared in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournaments twice in the three years the tournament was held. Gannon’s 3-23 record in the 2022-23 season includes 3-19 in PSAC play.

Jefferson’s teams finished 14-13 in his first season in 2019-20 and his third season in 2021-22. The team finished the 2020-21 season 10-4 during the pandemic.

Jefferson joined Gannon in 2019 after serving as an assistant with the men’s basketball program at Division I Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He succeeded coach John Reilly, the winningest men’s basketball coach in Gannon history. Reilly was fired after the Golden Knights went 11-18 overall and 9-12 in the PSAC in 2018-19.

Gannon hired a new men’s basketball coach, then 34-year-old Jordan Fee, in April. He grew up in Grove City and was the assistant head coach of the men’s basketball team at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. Nova Southeastern’s team won the Division II national championship in March 2023, finishing with an overall record of 36-0.

Fees Golden Knights enjoyed a high winning percentage in its first season. The team, filled with transfers and new players, was 19-2 overall entering Saturday and in first place in the PSAC West at 13-2.

Contact Ed Palattella at [email protected]. Follow him on X @ETNpalattella.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Lawsuit over firing of former Gannon men’s basketball coach settled