Mark Gottfried suing NC State for alleged missed buyout payments
Former men’s basketball coach Mark Gottfried is suing N.C. State in federal court, alleging that the university owes him thousands in buyout payments. Gottfried was fired in 2017 after coaching the team for six seasons.
Gottfried’s lawyer claims that in 2017 the coach and N.C. State had a contract regarding his separation that included monthly payments to Gottfried through April 4, 2020. According to the lawsuit, the school’s last payment came on August 31, 2018.
Elliot Abrams, Gottfried’s lawyer, told the N&O in 2019 that the school still owed Gottfried $520,000 but was trying to use his connection to the Adidas case to pay him less. On May 24, 2018, N.C. State sent Gottfried a “Notice of Intent to Discharge for Cause” claiming that the former coach had “induced the university to enter into payment arrangements.”
When reached Wednesday morning, Abrams said “we are going to decline to comment at this time.”
A spokesperson for the university told the News & Observer that “N.C. State does not comment on pending litigation.”
The federal lawsuit was filed Monday. The Triangle Business Journal first reported the news.
Gottfried was fired late in the 2016-17 season, but was allowed to stay and coach through the conclusion of the year, ending in an early exit from the ACC tournament. Gottfried was 123–86 at N.C. State, including 48–58 in the ACC. His best conference finishes were during his first two seasons, when the Wolfpack tied for fourth. They finished in 13th place in each of his final two seasons.
Gottfried is currently the men’s basketball coach at Cal-State Northridge.
Notice of Allegations
In July of 2019, N.C. State received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, charging N.C. State with two Level I violations involving former guard Dennis Smith Jr., who was coached by Gottfried during the 2016-17 season.
Former Adidas consultant, T.J. Gassnola, testified in federal court that a $40,000 payment was made to Smith’s family while he was being recruited to N.C. State. Gassnola testified that in October 2015, he made the payment to former N.C. State assistant coach Orlando Early, who was supposed to deliver the money to Shawn Farmer, a trainer for Smith and the middle man between the family and Gassnola.
Smith left the Wolfpack after one season for the NBA draft. He was picked ninth in 2017 by the Dallas Mavericks and was traded to the New York Knicks in January 2019.
In April of 2019, Abrams said the school was trying to use Gottfried’s connection to the trial as a way of not paying the former coach what he is owed.
This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 8:53 AM with the headline "Mark Gottfried suing NC State for alleged missed buyout payments."
