The University and state of Iowa on Monday reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought by a dozen former Hawkeye players, who alleged mistreatment and discrimination at the hands of several individuals within the football program.
To cover its $2 million portion of the bill, Iowa state auditor argued the state's taxpayers should get AD Gary Barta's firing in return. "Enough is enough," he said.
One hundred fifteen miles east of the state capitol, one of the defendants of the case had his own reaction to the news.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz released a statement saying he was "greatly disappointed" that the lawyers representing Iowa settled the case. "These discussions took place entirely without the knowledge or consent of the coaches who were named in the lawsuit," Ferentz said. "In fact, the parties initially named disagree with the decision to settle, fully believing the case would have been dismissed with prejudice before trial."
See the full statement below.
It remains to be see if the state of Iowa's state auditor can force the Iowa athletics director's firing. But it's beyond doubt that Iowa's head coach will return for a 25th season this fall.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.