University of Cincinnati agrees to pay former Bearcats basketball coach John Brannen $2.75M

Keith Jenkins, Cincinnati Enquirer
·3 min read
John Brannen was fired as Cincinnati's coach on April 9.
John Brannen was fired as Cincinnati's coach on April 9.

The University of Cincinnati has agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement with former Bearcats men's basketball coach John Brannen as part of the "amicable resolution" between the two parties the school announced Thursday.

The university agreed to pay Brannen $2.75 million as part of the settlement agreement to a lawsuit Brannen filed last year, according to documents obtained Friday by The Enquirer through Ohio's Open Records Act.

You can read the settlement papers at the end of this story.

The Athletic first reported the agreed-upon figure.

UC agreed to pay Brannen within 60 days of when the settlement was signed. Both parties signed the legal resolution Wednesday. The parties will pay their own legal fees, under the settlement. The agreement also specifies the settlement is not an admission by UC of "wrongful acts" against Brannen.

Brannen, who was fired April 9, 2021, originally filed a federal lawsuit against UC, UC Director of Athletics John Cunningham and UC President Neville G. Pinto. He sought compensatory damages, punitive damages and the $5.25 million buyout he said he was due because the "defendants deprived him of his constitutionally protected procedural and substantive due process rights."

The Enquirer reported in May 2021 that when Cincinnati fired Brannen, it accused the coach of using methods of intimidation against players and making payment of special benefits for an unnamed player. UC also accused Brannen of jeopardizing or disregarding the well-being, health and safety of his players, according to documents obtained by The Enquirer.

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach John Brannen walks back to the bench in the second half of a men's NCAA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. The Memphis Tigers won, 80-74.
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach John Brannen walks back to the bench in the second half of a men's NCAA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. The Memphis Tigers won, 80-74.

Last October, Brannen dropped the federal suit and refiled a suit in the Ohio Court of Claims against UC and the state. Brannen sought "damages; declaratory, equitable, and injunctive relief; and costs for the bad-faith breach of contract, in violation of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing," according to the lawsuit.

The Court of Claims handles money claims against the state and its entities. Cases before it are decided by a judge or magistrate; there are no jury trials in this court. Brannen's case against the university was scheduled to go to trial in May 2023.

With this settlement, Brannen will be responsible for any taxes on the $2.75 million payment, according to the eight-page document outlining the resolution. The settlement represents "a complete, final and irreversible end to any and all claims and/or disputes which arose or could have arisen" from Brannen's lawsuit, the documents state.

Brannen is not eligible for reinstatement, rehire or re-employment of any kind with the University of Cincinnati, and attorneys representing both parties agree not to comment on or publicly disclose any information about the case, lawsuits or settlement, per the settlement.

The University of Dayton announced Tuesday that Brannen will serve as a program analyst and senior special assistant to Flyers men's basketball coach Anthony Grant. Grant was an assistant at Marshall under then-head coach Billy Donovan from 1994-96. Brannen played for Marshall from 1995-97 after transferring from Morehead State.

Brannen, John Settlement Agreement - 2022-09-07 (1) by CincinnatiEnquirer on Scribd

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC agrees to pay former Bearcats coach John Brannen $2.75M