Price dropping suit against Witt Sunday, May 02, 2004 MIKE BOLTON News staff writer
Fired Alabama football coach Mike Price will drop a lawsuit against University of Alabama president Robert Witt that alleges Witt stepped beyond his duty in firing Price last May, Price's attorney said Friday.
The request to dismiss the lawsuit, which alleged fraud and misrepresentation, was sent to Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court on Friday, attorney Steve Heninger said. The lawsuit was filed on March 22.
While he still believes the suit against Witt has merit, Heninger said, he will now shift all of his energy to Price's lawsuit against Time Inc. Price sued Time Inc., the parent company of Sports Illustrated, saying an article published after Price's firing forever damaged his reputation and his ability to get a major coaching job.
Heninger said Witt was candid and cooperative in the deposition he gave for the lawsuit against Time Inc. That was also a factor in the dismissal of the lawsuit against Witt, Heninger said.
Price made a mistake in going to a strip club and getting drunk during a golf tournament in Pensacola, Fla., last April and admitted it, according to Heninger. Price disagrees, Heninger said, with Witt's decision to fire him and how it was handled.
Heninger said he believes part of the reason Price was fired was Witt's concern over the upcoming Sports Illustrated article. Witt said in his deposition that he was aware that Sports Illustrated was doing an article on Price and was concerned about it, according to Heninger.
Witt has said previously that the SI article was unrelated to his decision.
Price claims the SI article contained seven areas of inaccuracy.
In addition to the SI lawsuit, Price sued the university and Witt in his official capacity, but a judge dismissed that lawsuit last year. Then Price filed the March 2004 lawsuit naming Witt as the sole defendant.
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