West Virginia accepted text from Bob Huggins' wife as resignation, according to letter demanding reinstatement

Ousted West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins is not going quietly, as news broke on Saturday that lawyers representing him had sent a letter to the school demanding his reinstatement. The letter, now widely available on Twitter, states that West Virginia treated a text from Huggins’ wife, June Huggins, as his formal resignation.

The letter goes on to explain that, according to Huggins’ contract with the school, he himself had to tender a written resignation to the athletic director and university general counsel. Huggins never did send or hand deliver a written resignation, according to the letter.

“Such notice makes sense — one would certainly not want a coach to be able to resign through a statement made in the heat of the moment after a loss,” the letter, written by David A. Campbell of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, said.

Sports attorney Mit Winter of Kennyhertz Perry LLP noted on Twitter on Saturday night that “this could get interesting.”

This could get interesting.

Huggins’ attorney states WVU is alleging Huggins resigned via a text message from his wife to the deputy AD. https://t.co/Ne54zviIDU

— Mit Winter (@WinterSportsLaw) July 9, 2023

The text from June reportedly read “Please accept this correspondence as my formal notice of resignation as WVU Head Basketball Coach and as notice of my retirement from West Virginia University, effective immediately.”

“Based on press statements issues by WVU over the past days, it is quite obvious that WVU recognizes this legal issue and has tried to correct it through claims that Coach Huggins communicated his resignation directly to you and that he signed a resignation communication sent through WVU’s social media page,” the letter states. “Coach Huggins never signed a resignation letter and never communicated a resignation to anyone at WVU. Accordingly, the WVU public comments are not only false, but appear to be an after-the-fact-attempt to remedy WVU’s breach of the Employment Agreement.”

Huggins was ousted from his role as head coach in mid June after he was arrested in the Pittsburgh area for drinking and driving. Huggins reportedly blew a .210 on a breathalyzer test and stated to the officers who pulled him over that he thought he was in Ohio.

Six weeks prior to that, Huggins had appeared on a Cincinnati radio station and, while discussing Xavier’s basketball program, Huggins used an anti-gay slur while also denigrating the fact that Xavier is a Catholic university.

That initial comment on radio earned him a pay reduction and mandated sensitivity training; some were surprised to see him keep his job after the first incident.

And while Huggins went through the motions of a coach who resigned — meeting with his players and apologizing for his transgressions — he apparently never carried out the specific act needed to formally resign.

The letter also alleges West Virginia acted quickly to jettison Huggins after his DUI, rather than seeking to hear from him first, saying the school “refused any delays or discussions” before announcing his resignation, allegedly based on the text from his wife.

It argues that West Virginia could’ve exercised patience and sought to find a path more amicable for all parties. Then, it lays out supposed options for the school’s leadership.

“Reinstate Coach Huggins to his Head Basketball Coach position once the rehabilitation program is completed pursuant to the plain terms of the Employment Agreement; or (2) remain in breach of the Employment Agreement and face litigation.”

The letter notes that litigation wouldn’t be limited solely to breach of contract, but would also delve into the lack of due process in trying to jettison Huggins.

His contract with the school, which his lawyers argue is still in place and enforceable, ends on April 30, 2024.