Clearly, it’s legal day here, and this merits a follow, because there are only so many ways that you can fuck up a 20-win season and an NCAA tourney berth last season, and one of them would be by being accused of stalking someone. That’s what Florida A&M coach Mike Gillespie is accused of doing, and the school gave him the pink slip as a result.
The married coach faces those stalking charges against a former girlfriend who claims that she ended a lengthy relationship. Gillespie had been wearing an ankle bracelet since the arest, and, surprise, surprise, the former coach’s lawyer feels a bit blindsided by the school’s decision:
Attorney Tim Jansen, who is representing Gillespie Sr., said he and his client were blindsided by Ammons’ decision, especially after meeting with him, Townsend and the university’s general counsel three weeks ago.
“It was a very productive meeting,” Jansen said. “They were very complimentary of the coach. They were pleased with the progress he had made. There was no indication coming out of that meeting that he would be terminated.”
Jansen said he received a call from the university a week after the meeting and was again given no indication that a decision on his client’s employment status was forthcoming.
The side benefit of this will be that Gillespie will be on paid leave until November, but his son Mike, Jr. is angling for his father’s job at this time. Gillespie Senior should just be happy he’s getting paid even though he’s doing nothing — although this may be a way to try and keep him and his lawyer for trying to go too hard for that year left on his contract.
Lawyer: Gillespie blindsided [Tallahassee Democrat]
(Photo: AP/Karl DeBlaker)
Filed under: coaches, college basketball, police blotter | Tagged: scandals
