ATHENS – AUGUST 30: Running back Leander Barney #15 of the Georgia Southern Eagles hauled in a 34 yard touchdown pass in the 4th quarter during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on August 30, 2008 in Athens, Georgia. The Bulldogs beat the Eagles 45-21. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

Both of Georgia Southern’s co-offensive coordinators from last season are suing the university over their firing, in which they say they were coerced into signing bad contracts.

David Dean and Rance Gillespie signed 18-month contracts when they were initially offered the job, but according to USA Today, they say that they learned nine months later that the university’s board of regents never signed the contracts. So, they say, the athletic department convinced them to sign new, shorter contracts, under the guise that they needed to do it to keep their jobs.

But when they did, they were almost immediately fired.

The lawsuit alleges that Summers, Kleinlein, senior associate athletics director for business operations Jeff Blythe and director of football operations Cymone George “conspired to change the terms of the January Contract and specifically the employment end date” in order to save money, knowing they would be making coaching changes on the offensive staff.

The lawsuit states that Dean refused three requests from George to sign the new contract, believing he already had signed a valid contract. Dean claims he finally signed the new contract on Dec. 2 following a phone call with Blythe that left him with the impression that if he didn’t sign it, he could be fired any time and that his salary and benefits would immediately cease. Gillespie’s lawsuit makes the same claim, saying Blythe “informed Gillespie that it would be in Gillespie’s best interest to sign the November contract for his own protection.”

If true, that’s a pretty terrible way to treat an employee. And it can’t be good for a football program that has historically been great but is now running into some turmoil.

[USA Today]

About Kevin Trahan

Kevin mostly covers college football and college basketball, with an emphasis on NCAA issues and other legal issues in sports. He is also an incoming law student. He's written for SB Nation, USA Today, VICE Sports, The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.