Football: Former Pitt coach Haywood seeks investigation of termination

Former Pitt football head coach Michael Haywood is pursuing a state review of his termination… Former Pitt football head coach Michael Haywood is pursuing a state review of his termination from the position in January. He’s also pursuing a meeting with Pitt officials about the five-year contract he signed with the University in December.

In December, Haywood was arrested in South Bend, Ind., on charges of domestic abuse against the mother of his child. Pitt fired Haywood hours later.

A news release from Power MediaWorks, LLC, a public relations firm representing The Buzbee Law Firm, said that Haywood’s attorney Tony Buzbee also sent a letter to Pitt concerning Haywood’s firing 16 days after he was hired and the lack of investigation into the incident.

Following the domestic abuse allegation, the mother of Haywood’s child filed papers saying that Haywood didn’t pose a danger to her or their child. The news release states that “the submitted paperwork also raised questions about the accuracy of the police report.”

In February, Haywood entered a court diversion program in Indiana which requires 60 hours of community service and a psychological evaluation. If he completes the deal, the charges will be dismissed in one year.

The five-year contract with Pitt would have paid Haywood up to $7.5 million plus incentives, the release said. Haywood asked the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and other state and federal agencies to look into the termination, and he also wants a meeting with Pitt officials.

“In their rush to judgment, Pitt officials did not bother to contact the alleged victim or even the coach himself,” Buzbee said in the release. “I believe the university violated its contract with the coach, the university’s employment procedures, and the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Had Pitt conducted even a cursory investigation, it would have determined that the alleged incident simply did not occur as reported, and the termination would not have occurred. We are exploring other motives for Pitt’s firing of Coach Haywood.”

In the release, Haywood said he apologizes for the problems the incident caused and the effects on his former 16-person staff.

“However, the allegations as reported are completely false,” he said.

Haywood, born in Houston, played wide receiver and defensive back at the University of Notre Dame. He worked on the football staff at high-profile football schools such as Notre Dame and Texas. Before arriving at Pitt, Haywood was the head coach at Miami (Ohio), where he guided the team with a 1-11 record in his first season to a 10-4 record in 2010. He was named the 2010 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year.

Pitt Athletics spokesman E.J. Borghetti couldn’t be reached for comment. Buzbee couldn’t be reached for further comment.