BU and ex-coach hope settlement ends long tussle

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This article was published 25/09/2010 (5772 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — Perhaps, once and for all, the oft-contentious bickering between Jerry Hemmings and Brandon University has been laid to rest for good.

The school and the Brandon University Faculty Association, which represented the former men’s basketball coach, came to a settlement this week that both sides hope finally puts a wrap on a saga that has been ongoing since Hemmings was removed as the Bobcats’ head coach in 2004.

Hemmings, who came to an agreement with the school in 2006 on a previous grievance, had filed another grievance arguing that a confidentiality clause in the 2006 agreement had been breached.

“I’m happy that we were able to put this past us and it’s time again to move forward,” Hemmings said.

As per terms of the 2010 settlement, the university will pay Hemmings $20,000, support his nomination for the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame and allow increased “participation in and contribution to BU’s athletic programs.”

For anyone who may interpret that last clause as an opening for Hemmings to again coach one of BU’s teams, Hemmings himself quashed the idea.

“I’m not looking at exploring any coaching positions here at BU,” he said.

Hemmings and BUFA president Joe Dolecki both asserted they believe this puts an end to the Hemmings versus Brandon University story that started in the spring of 2004 when the school dismissed Hemmings, who subsequently started a chain of grievances based on what he believed was a wrongful dismissal and the school’s refusal to consider him as a candidate for future coaching vacancies.

The settlement also called for the men’s basketball team’s MVP award to be named after Hemmings, who coached the team from 1974 to 2003, guiding the Bobcats to several national championships, including three in a row from 1986-89, remarkable for a small Prairie university.

BU also had to issue a public apology, which it did through vice-president finance and administration Scott Lamont.

“(BU) wishes to express regret that reference was made to a 2006 confidential agreement with Jerry Hemmings in an April 7, 2010 article in the Brandon Sun,” Lamont said in a release. “… Further, the University regrets any embarrassment Mr. Hemmings may have experienced because of this reference. The fact that this reference was made does not indicate or imply any criticism of or wrongdoing on the part of Jerry Hemmings or his work at Brandon University.”

The settlement also contains a clause that makes the 2006 settlement open to the public. Both settlements will be posted on BUFA’s website at bufa.org.

dlarkins@brandonsun.com