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OLEAN, N.Y. -- Cleared by the NCAA of committing any
infractions, former St. Bonaventure coach Jan van Breda Kolff says
he was wrongfully dismissed by the school and is owed the
approximate $1 million left on his contract. "Absolutely. Total wrongful termination. They should not have
dismissed him as coach," van Breda Kolff's lawyer, Lew Connor,
said Friday. "Hopefully, I can convince St. Bonaventure to do the
right thing so we'll never have to test that (in court)." Connor said he plans to contact St. Bonaventure officials next
week to see if the matter can be resolved before he considers legal
action. School spokesman David Ferguson declined to comment. Van Breda Kolff, now an assistant with the NBA New Orleans
Hornets, had four years left on his contract when he was fired by
the university last April as a result of a player eligibility
scandal. On Thursday, the NCAA issued several sanctions against the St.
Bonaventure men's basketball team -- including placing the Bonnies
on three years probation -- for using junior forward Jamil Terrell,
who was ruled ineligible last February for failing to meet junior
college transfer guidelines. Terrell earned a certificate in
welding at a community college before transferring to St.
Bonaventure. The NCAA ruled that van Breda Kolff committed no violations. Infractions committee chairman Thomas Yeager said the NCAA
investigated van Breda Kolff on an allegation of unethical conduct,
but found the ultimate responsibility for approving Terrell's
transfer rested with former school president Robert Wickenheiser. The investigation did note that van Breda Kolff was one of at
least five school officials that were aware of questions of
Terrell's eligibility, yet failed to contact the Atlantic 10
Conference or the NCAA. "Regardless of the advocacy of the basketball staff ... in the
committee's view, the ultimate acts of the violation rested with
the president," Yeager said. Wickenheiser, who resigned last March, took responsibility for
approving Terrell's transfer, but noted van Breda Kolff in a
written submission he made to the NCAA last August. "I gave in because (van Breda Kolff) wanted the student
athlete, when clearly that was the worst thing I could or should
have done," Wickenheiser wrote. "I place the blame squarely on me
for (Terrell's) acceptance." Last April, a St. Bonaventure investigation found no direct
evidence that van Breda Kolff knew of Terrell's status, but ruled
he should have tried to determine the player's eligibility
considering he was aware of the questions raised. Last December, interim St. Bonaventure president, the Rev.
Dominic Monti, compared van Breda Kolff's defense to that of what
he called, "the three little monkeys: the see no evil, hear no
evil, say no evil." Added Monti: "And that's precisely Jan's response: `I didn't
know anything. I didn't say anything. I didn't do anything. I
didn't hear anything." Connor, Van Breda Kolff's attorney, hoped the NCAA report would
put an end to the school bad-mouthing his client. "I was thrilled when the NCAA made what I think is absolutely
the correct judgment," Connor said. "And I know it was a
disappointment for St. Bonaventure. ... How St. Bonaventure shot at
him and shot at him and shot at him. I thought it was wrong then. I
think it's wrong now."
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