Lawyer: Fran called UA job `hell on earth'
07/11/03
It was June of last year. Dennis Franchione was unhappy. A fat new contract offer from Alabama was on the table, but Franchione told Mal Moore and Andrew Sorensen he would not sign it.
One of the coach's conditions: The AD and the president had to get faculty rep Gene Marsh and compliance director Marie Robbins out of his hair.
Says who? Says Tommy Gallion, the attorney for Ronnie Cottrell in the former Alabama assistant coach's lawsuit against everyone he claims conspired to bring down him and the Alabama football program.
How does Gallion know? He says a friend of Franchione who owns a furniture store told him so in a sworn statement.
"I understand Franchione's frustration," Gallion said. "He described it (working at Alabama) as a hell on earth."
Gallion said he read the friend's statement to Franchione and Franchione corrected only a few things. But Gallion said he does not plan to take a deposition from Franchione in this case because the coach said he didn't want to get involved.
Before the NCAA hit the Alabama football program with serious sanctions, Roy Kramer met with Moore and Marsh. The SEC commissioner told them if they could "get" Tide booster Logan Young and Tide coaches Cottrell and Ivy Williams, Kramer would use his influence with the NCAA "to get Alabama a slap on the wrist."
Says who? Says Gallion. How does he know? He says he has sworn testimony about that conversation at that meeting.
"I'm stating that Roy Kramer played a role in this," said Gallion, who would not identify the source of his sworn testimony. "Whether it was good or bad ... He may have been trying to help (Alabama). If he was trying to help by throwing my clients under the truck, that angers me."
Is Gallion a great lawyer or a great storyteller? Is there a difference? It'll be hard to know the answers unless this case makes it into a courtroom.
In a phone interview Thursday, the Montgomery attorney told his side of the story with his usual passion. One new wrinkle: Cottrell's lawsuit is being amended to add Williams as a plaintiff and Tennessee booster Roy Adams as a defendant.
It was always a poorly kept secret that the Mike DuBose coaching staff at Alabama, which included Cottrell and Williams, did not see eye to eye with the compliance department.
Did Franchione also consider Marsh and Robbins a nuisance? Does any coach make friends with his school's compliance people? Besides, last summer Robbins finished her duties as compliance director to become full-time senior women's administrator.
Franchione could not be reached for comment.
Everyone knows Kramer is a Tennessee native who's moved back there since retiring as SEC commissioner. It's a long way from Tennessee resident to Tennessee fan and/or Alabama enemy.
Kramer could not be reached to respond.
The next step in Gallion's march toward justice or the next act in his circus comes Tuesday. He's planning a briefing outside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Can't say his side is winning right now, but the game is on.
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Rick -- Yea, Alabama! Drown'em Tide!
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