USC Faces Lawsuit

As if USC hasn’t spent enough time in the spotlight this offseason, the university is now being sued by the Tennessee Titans for interfering with the contract of USC’s newly hired offensive coordinator Kennedy Pola. According to the Tennessean, the lawsuit claims USC lured Kennedy Pola into breaching his contract with the Titans. 

"According to the lawsuit, “USC and Kiffin maliciously intended to – and did – induce Pola to breach his contract with the Titans. The lawsuit alleges “USC and Kiffin engaged in improper means in their procedure of the breach and were not legally justified in their actions.’’ According to the lawsuit, Pola agreed he would “not under any circumstance solicit discussions or entertain employment with any other person or entity during the term without given written permission to do so,’’ under the terms of his contract with the Titans. Pola was not given written consent by the Titans. “Kiffin and USC’s actions through him were part of a course and pattern of conduct fostered by Kiffin and USC to use improper methods and means to the direct harm and damage of parties to contract, to interfere with an existing contract includes the breach thereof,’’ the lawsuit reads."

On Saturday, it was shocking that Titans coach Jeff Fisher would publicly bash the head coach of his alma mater. However, it appears those comments were just the tip of the iceberg in this case. USC and Lane Kiffin continue to receive bad press in what has been a nightmare offseason.

Every year, coaches hire away coaches from other jobs and there isn’t much racket made of the situation. The lawsuit seems like sour grapes and an attempt to strengthen the Titans’ fan base by luring in angry Volunteer fans.

Reign of Troy contacted a lawyer and asked them what they thought of the case. While there are a lot of unknowns at this point, it seems that the Titans will have a tough case to prove. The Titans might have a decent case against Kennedy Pola for breach of contract, but the claim that USC interfered with the contract is likely frivolous. For the Titans to nail USC, they would have to prove USC knew about the clause in Pola’s contract that prohibited him from having contact with other employers without Tennessee’s permission.