The Michigan Wolverines football program is hoping that new head coach Kyle Whittingham can return the team to the standards of excellence that it has become known for over the years, after the last two head coaches left in scandal.
Sherrone Moore was fired for what the university deemed to be an inappropriate relationship, and before him, Jim Harbaugh departed for the NFL while the program was under investigation for a sign-stealing scandal.
Assistant coach Chris Partridge was fired during the sign-stealing scandal and is now suing the university for wrongful termination and the “devastation” of his reputation, according to the Detroit News.
“Yes, 100%,” Partridge said after being asked if he felt like a scapegoat. “I mean, I don’t feel like it. I know it. We have some pretty strong knowledge of what happened in the conversations and things that happened. So, yeah. I know I was a scapegoat.”
“However, despite Partridge’s unwavering commitment and success, the University of Michigan unjustly terminated Partridge’s employment and spread false and damaging information regarding his professional conduct, tarnishing Partridge’s hard-earned reputation and inflicting irreparable harm on to his career and personal well-being,” the lawsuit reads. “In addition to damages, this lawsuit seeks to clear Partridge’s name and restore his otherwise stellar reputation.”
Partridge told the Detroit News that he was prevented from talking and giving his side of things.
“Partridge was a scapegoat who was wrongly fired simply because he told a player he had the right to have counsel — something the University should have told the players themselves if it had been protecting their interests instead of trying to curry favor with the NCAA,” reads the lawsuit.
“I never in a million years thought that something like this would ever happen, but just the way that I’ve personally been treated by the university leadership — it’s just so wrong,” Patridge said. “And I just feel like after putting everything I had into that place to be lied to and used like that for their own personal gains, I just think it’s the right thing to do.
“It’s like anyone in my position would fight. I’m a fighter, and just the right thing. I just want the truth to come out, and I want my name to be cleared. I feel like this is probably the only way to truly get to the bottom of what really happened. And, shoot, the Michigan fans deserve it too.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.