Kathy Bull, former Ball State University women's tennis coach, is planning to sue the university based on claims of wrongful termination after she was let go.
Bull, who coached the team for more than 20 years, was relieved of her coaching duties Oct. 20 and placed on paid, non-disciplinary administrative leave. She was officially fired last month, according to information provided by Tony Proudfoot, Ball State associate vice president of Marketing and Communications.
Bull declined to comment on the suit and directed questions to her lawyer, Marissa Pollick.
Pollick said she thought Bull was terminated because she voiced opinions regarding Ball State's Title IX conduct, the NCAA law that ensures equal athletic opportunity for men and women, which has been under investigation in past years.
"They wanted to get rid of Kathy because she was an advocate of Title IX in a department that was riddled with problems," Pollick said. "The filing of the suit is imminent."
The university cited "alleged violations by Ms. Bull of various NCAA regulations," among other things in a statement released to the media after her dismissal as reasons for Bull's firing.
Bull's violations were outlined in a self-report submitted to the NCAA by the Ball State Athletics Department on Oct. 19, the day before Bull was fired.
Bull was cited for six NCAA rule violations dealing with text messages she sent to multiple student-athletes asking them to misrepresent hours on a weekly practice log and instructed players in a number of different ways that exceed the maximum number of practice hours set by the NCAA.
Pollick said the violations against Bull were typically ruled to be minor by the NCAA and that no Ball State coach in history had ever been fired on the grounds of such violations.
Ball State President Jo Ann Gora, the university's Board of Trustees and various athletic directors will likely be included in the potential lawsuit as well, Pollick said.
Proudfoot said the university will wait for the NCAA to announce its findings before making further comment.
The university's attorney Scott Shockley couldn't be reached for comment.
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