Schweyen suing UM

[goatcreekgriz]

If Shannon were told by Haslam she would receive a two-year contract and then was told by Haslam only that she would not be retained because two players entered the portal, then Haslam may be in deep sh*t.

Does not mean Shannon will prevail, but she might get to trial.

 

[oldrunner]

I really don't know much about her, her coaching, or her teams, but I don't think the case will center around any of that. Firstly, the judge may decide upfront that she worked through her contract and that is all the University owed her. In that scenario, she would have no standing. If it is decided that she does have standing, then it will hinge on the paper trail. The he said she said stuff will have little bearing. If they indeed told her in writing that they were not renewing her contract due to the 2 transferring players, and nothing else, then the University will likely settle out of court to avoid the publicity. If it actually goes to court, that is not a good sign for UM.

This is absolutely not about any other coaches being in any sort of trouble.

Just IMHO.

 

[Grizfan-24]

I don't think this will end well for Shannon. The rumors around this potential Title IX lawsuit have been going around for a while.

Basically she is going to have to show she has cause and then prove the UM both in regards to Bobby and Travis, handled it differently because of her sex. Albeit it is a civil claim and the bar is a bit lower, but I would be surprised if this case ever makes it in front of a judge.

I'm not a lawyer, but I am familiar with the process as I have seen this lawsuit playout in school districts that I have worked in and have been around. She is considered an at-will employee (to a degree), and the burden of proof gets a lot steeper because per my experience there is going to need to be tangible hard evidence that not only was the dismissal predicated on her sex but that situations of equal comparison Haslam and the athletic department chose to turn their collective gaze away from Travis's program.

On a UM level, this is terrible. Former star basketball player, so enamored with her own gravitas in her circle of friends, seeks to play upon sentiment to absolutely tear apart the football, mens basketball programs so she can get 2 pounds of flesh. I'll admit, the UM botched her firing/dismissal. They had countless opportunities in the prior two years to do, including immediately after loss that spring in the Big Sky tournament. Haslam didn't time it correctly, but it wasn't nor should it ever be considered to be without cause. Nor was it solely focused on the short-term departure of 2-6 players, but rather the sum of a number of problems that had accrued over her four year term as coach. Or so I was told. I just can't see where this goes that doesn't uncover a pile of shit that doesn't make Shannon or the athletic department as a whole look bad.

The lawsuit is not based on Title IX. The claim is about disparate treatment under Title VII, and it it's merely coincidental that it involves a school or university. She alleges she was treated differently than male coaches because of her gender.

Shannon may not prevail but the lawsuit will likely be painful for UM and Missoula before all is aid and done.

My fault, I do that a lot with Title 7 and 9, literally need to stamp it on my forehead.

I don't know specifics, but I was told when this happened almost two years ago, there are several elements of her contract (and I don't think it was just her contract by the way) that opened the door for the decision that was made and what is I think going to be the central defense for the athletic department. She was an at-will employee and she wasn't fired but rather non-renewed and the U was going to let her contract lapse in June. I tend to trust who told me that, and unless there is some sort of smoking gun here that reeks cover up of some sort of malfeasance by Travis (who I think her target is), I can't see how this doesn't ends up the way that I think she wants it to. Maybe they settle, but the UM nor Haslam is ever going to admit they did anything wrong in public.

Haslam handled her non-renewal poorly and I said earlier, he had umpteen opportunities to do in the 12-24 months prior that would have been sufficient cause. That he waited and then had to deal with the apparent mutiny inside the locker room, only to non-renew her a day before her vesting date doesn't look the best.

This isn't good for the UM, Kent Haslam or Shannon Schweyen regardless of the outcome.

 

[goatcreekgriz]

All I know is what is alleged in the Complaint. It appears well-pled by quality lawyers. Based on this impression, getting rid of this case will be a lot tougher than shooting a lay-up. Schweyen may have a variety of objectives (such as revenge, vindication, etc.), but her lawyers simply want to win and get paid. Strap in because it will be ride.

 

[Griz til I die]

Shannon is one of those people who thinks she's never done anything wrong in life. She's one of those people that actually truly believes she was a great head coach even though every statistical category proves that wrong. Let's retrace our steps here. She was offered a two year contract initially. She never signed it and I'm not even sure Haslam had even written it up. It was at that time that the team got wind of the news and two players did transfer, and I believe another 4-6 went to Haslam and were threatening to transfer if she was renewed, including some of the major contributors on the team. She was never fired, she was not renewed after the expiration of her contract. Haslam handled it poorly, but he is allowed to change his mind and if the whole team is threatening to transfer, then can you really blame him for changing his mind? She's got no legal ground to stand on whatsoever, and it's pretty telling when you consider no attorney in Missoula would take her case, and she had to hire an attorney from Bozeman. She's not gonna win because her demands are incredibly. She wants to either be reinstated as Lady Griz head coach, or be paid the salary of being Lady Griz head coach for life. She stands no chance!

 

[maroonandsilver]

Shannon should have followed the example of Don Holst. When he was let go, I'm sure he was upset, and he had a lot of upset supporters to back him. But he accepted the decision and moved on. He goes to Griz games, interacts with a lot of people while at the games, and seems to really enjoy being there. I doubt we will ever see Shannon on the UM campus again. Her history as a great Lady Griz player will be lost as most will remember her dismal record as coach and now her suing her alma mater.

 

[MTbest]

I was not impressed with her as a coach, but she is represented by talented lawyers. This is going to be interesting.

My guess settlement.

 

[MTbest]

Shannon should have followed the example of Don Holst. When he was let go, I'm sure he was upset, and he had a lot of upset supporters to back him. But he accepted the decision and moved on. He goes to Griz games, interacts with a lot of people while at the games, and seems to really enjoy being there. I doubt we will ever see Shannon on the UM campus again. Her history as a great Lady Griz player will be lost as most will remember her dismal record as coach and now her suing her alma mater.

Curious about this, does she go to LGriz games? Likely not. Does she watch on medias LGriz games? Does she support LGriz in any shape or form?

 

[gotgame75]

How so? I'm curious as to why you seem so bullish on Shannon's chances here?

I think this case has FAR more risk to further tarnish Shannon's reputation than it does to hurt UM in any sort of meaningful way. I'm actually somewhat shocked that she is willing to risk certain facts about her lack of professionalism coming out in open court.

Her legal standing on this discrimination issue is tenuous at the very best. She is going to have to prove that UM treated a similar scenario with Decuire different based on solely on gender. That said, Shannon and Travis' situations basically had zero similarity outside of the basic fact that players transferred out of the program. The reality is Shannon is bitter and grasping at straws. It would take a moron to look at the totality of both situations and not see they are world's apart.

Interesting that Shannon hired a lawyer from Bozeman as I know for a fact that multiple Missoula plaintiff's attorneys turned down her case.

I’m not bullish, I just read the complaint and see where it is going. I don’t know if she would win if the case goes to trial but it is interesting how it is set up. I have no idea who ‘turned down her case” but lead counsel is a quality D.C. law firm that specializes in sex discrimination cases and the Bozeman firm is one of the best in Montana. I doubt it is going away soon.

It's going to take a lot more than a good lawyer to have Shannon come out a winner on this one. There are certain details around her behavior and personal life specifically germane to her firing that will not paint a pretty picture of
her stability and professionalism.

 

[gotgame75]

Shannon is one of those people who thinks she's never done anything wrong in life. She's one of those people that actually truly believes she was a great head coach even though every statistical category proves that wrong. Let's retrace our steps here. She was offered a two year contract initially. She never signed it and I'm not even sure Haslam had even written it up. It was at that time that the team got wind of the news and two players did transfer, and I believe another 4-6 went to Haslam and were threatening to transfer if she was renewed, including some of the major contributors on the team. She was never fired, she was not renewed after the expiration of her contract. Haslam handled it poorly, but he is allowed to change his mind and if the whole team is threatening to transfer, then can you really blame him for changing his mind? She's got no legal ground to stand on whatsoever, and it's pretty telling when you consider no attorney in Missoula would take her case, and she had to hire an attorney from Bozeman. She's not gonna win because her demands are incredibly. She wants to either be reinstated as Lady Griz head coach, or be paid the salary of being Lady Griz head coach for life. She stands no chance!

THIS! What a sad, ignominious end to the career of a Griz legend. I knew she wasn't going to let this go, but damn girl... the way she's handled makes it almost impossible to have any sympathy for her whatsoever.

 

[dayday]

There will be vigorous briefing for discovery and then the summary judgment brief by UM will be important. This will likely settle like almost all civil cases do. Whether either has the winning arguments kind of goes out the window when money, legal fees and risk is involved.

 

[TrueGriz]

There will be vigorous briefing for discovery and then the summary judgment brief by UM will be important. This will likely settle like almost all civil cases do. Whether either has the winning arguments kind of goes out the window when money, legal fees and risk is involved.

What I am concerned about if they settle, is that Shannon will consider UM settling as an admission of guilt and will state something like that in public. UM will just sweep it under the rug and not do any PR afterwards and public opinion will side with Shannon even though evidence may actually side with UM.

Because of that, I think it is a possibility that UM will be the loser if they settle.

 

[GGNez]

...where's playerep...
...sort this siht out...
...egriz advocate...

... :ugeek:...

I was thinking the same thing, Zen. I'm going to reach out and see if he'll weigh in on this. I'm also very curious about Robin Selvig's opinion, though I'm sure we'll never know.

 

[grizzlyjournal]

Here's my acerbic comment re: the subject of this thread...

Same program. New coach....
Suddenly Sammy Fatkin is "All-Big Sky." Today, Fatkin scored 25 points, had 6 rebounds, 4 assists and three steals (4 turnovers though) in Montana's 72-51 road win over North Dakota.
Time to focus on the future of Montana women's basketball. Go Griz.

 

[GrizBaba]

Here's my acerbic comment re: the subject of this thread...

Same program. New coach....
Suddenly Sammy Fatkin is "All-Big Sky." Today, Fatkin scored 25 points, had 6 rebounds, 4 assists and three steals (4 turnovers though) in Montana's 72-51 road win over North Dakota.
Time to focus on the future of Montana women's basketball. Go Griz.

Apropos!

 

[MissoulaMarinerFan]

Ironic to me that the basis is on "TWO PLAYERS TRANSFERRED I WAS TREATED DIFFERENT THAN THE MENS BB OR FOOTBALL PROGRAM!"
Conveniently leaving out the slew of players that transferred out during her tenure. Sure, it was about the 2. :roll:

 

[putter]

She’s an absolute piece of shit as a coach and developed an absolutely toxic culture. She only mentions those two girls transferring out when there were another four threatening to go unless she was relieved of her duties. When you got six different girls trying to leave it’s time to look in the mirror Shannon.

This is what I heard, also. It will be interesting when current/former players take the stand or are deposed and describe the culture in that locker room as to why they transferred or were thinking about it. Her reputation could be front and center.

 

[HookedonGriz]

She’s an absolute piece of shit as a coach and developed an absolutely toxic culture. She only mentions those two girls transferring out when there were another four threatening to go unless she was relieved of her duties. When you got six different girls trying to leave it’s time to look in the mirror Shannon.

This is what I heard, also. It will be interesting when current/former players take the stand or are deposed and describe the culture in that locker room as to why they transferred or were thinking about it. Her reputation could be front and center.

I hope it blows up in her face. I think it’s disgusting what she is trying to pull. Not only were all those other players going to leave, you have Sammy Fatkin actually come back to the Griz once Shannon is let go.

I know for a fact the Athletic Dept did an anonymous team survey to get a pulse on that locker room and the results were horrid. That was a big piece in the non renewal.

 

[LittleBear]

Here's my acerbic comment re: the subject of this thread...

Same program. New coach....
Suddenly Sammy Fatkin is "All-Big Sky." Today, Fatkin scored 25 points, had 6 rebounds, 4 assists and three steals (4 turnovers though) in Montana's 72-51 road win over North Dakota.
Time to focus on the future of Montana women's basketball. Go Griz.

Gabi Harrington as well

 

[Orso74]

Far from a dumpster fire and part of the problem was initially she stuck with Selvig's out-dated recruiting blue-print of making signing Montana kids an over-priority. Times have changed especially with a lack of a shot-clock in MT HS hoops for both genders and the transfer portal, etc. She didn't start to change that recruiting dynamic until it was too late.

And the end result with this filing will be it probably won't see the inside of a court room because the UM will settle outside of it. I have read the case brief and her legal reps make a strong case for a violation of Title VII.

Shannon I feel does not have a case in my opinion but I’ve not had an opportunity to read the briefs but we’ll just have to wait and see. Her coaching certainly did speak for itself which was a dumpster fire at best. How could someone who sat on the bench next to one of the most successful coaches in women’s basketball history for 24 years not learn how to run a successful program is beyond comprehension. All she will accomplish even if she wins her case is to diminish her great accomplishments as a player. I feel bad for her in that this is a no win situation she has gotten herself into and the end result will not reflect kindly on her.