Former Toledo assistant Craig Kuligowski files $10 million wrongful termination lawsuit against school

Former Toledo football assistant coach Craig Kuligowski has filed a lawsuit against the school for wrongful termination, ESPN reported Monday. Kuligowski, who is white, alleges that he was fired because of his age and race and is seeking damages in excess of $10 million.

The 55-year-old Kuligowski is a former Rockets offensive lineman who was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2022. He began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1992 and went on to stay nine seasons. Most recently, he returned as an assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator in 2020 and held those positions through 2022.

Kuligowski’s attorneys state in the 22-page lawsuit that he was fired after the university deemed him “not representative” of its student athletes. It added that he was replaced with a younger black employee.

“It did not matter that he was an alumnus and a former student athlete,” the suit read. “He was somehow not ‘representative’ of student athletes — i.e. he was not young and he was not black.”

The lawsuit names Toledo and Bethany Ziviski, who had been the university’s interim senior associate vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer at the time of Kuligowski’s firing. Toledo continues to allege that the coach was terminated for cause.

“Craig Kuligowski, a former assistant football coach at The University of Toledo, was terminated for cause Jan. 14, 2023, for violating the University’s non-retaliation and standards of conduct policies,” Toledo said in a statement to ESPN. “UToledo is committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone and holds our leaders to high standards. It is imperative that all employees follow University policy and provide educational and working environments that are free from discrimination and harassment. The University will decline further comment on pending litigation.”

A female employee at the university filed a sexual harassment complaint against Kuligowski in the fall of 2022. She alleged that he made inappropriate comments on her clothing, specifically her “fancy pants.” Kuligowski denies ever making any such comment and both sides stated that they did not want Toledo to proceed with a formal complaint.

The lawsuit states that the female employee again approached Craig Kuligowski is December of 2022 leading him to say, “If my wife knew you were near me, she’d kill you.” He clarified that the comment was a “joke born of an uncomfortable situation.”

The employee filed another complaint against Kuligowski the following day, asking for him to be fired. Toledo suspended him and sent him home from the team’s bowl game. Kuligowski claimed in the lawsuit that he was not informed the reason for his suspension or given an opportunity to explain himself.

Toledo denied those claims in its response and Ziviski filed a motion to dismiss Kuligowski’s lawsuit.