Former USC head coach Steve Sarkisian has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the university over the way he was fired, and reportedly wants more than $30 million, according to TMZ Sports.
The Trojans fired Sarkisian after he left the team to reportedly seek alcohol treatment, according to Christopher Chavez of Sports Illustrated. Sarkisian reportedly learned about his firing through emails and texts from friends, according to ESPN's Joe Schad. USC athletic director Pat Haden said he attempted to reach Sarkisian by phone, but that the coach was traveling to an out-of-state treatment facility.
Reports of Sarkisian's alcohol issues stem back to when he was the head coach at Washington, and during the 2015 season as the Trojans head coach he reportedly showed up intoxicated to a team meeting, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
"Alcoholism is a recognized disability under California law. So firing somebody because of that disability is against the law," said Sarkisian's lawyer, via TMZ Sports. Haden's reason behind the firing of Sarkisian was that it was in the best interest of the university and the student athletes.
The Trojans football program bounced back after terminating Sarkisian as their head coach, and made it to the Pac-12 Championship game. Haden has made interim head coach Clay Helton the permanent head coach of the Trojans, and he has already made some significant changes following a loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 title game.
