Former KU Head Football Coach David Beaty Sues School For $3 Million

Former Kansas University football coach David Beaty has filed a lawsuit against the school for breaching their contract by not making all payments due. Beaty claims that his five-year employment contract, which was extended on December 1, 2016, was terminated without cause and he is entitled to guaranteed payments in the amount of $3 million.

Beaty was hired by Kansas in December 2014 after serving as a receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas A&M.

“David Beaty is well-respected in the football community and brings to KU great vision, passion and energy,” said Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger when Beaty was hired. “He has a bright football mind and is known as one of the best recruiters in the nation.”

Roughly four years later, Kansas and Beaty are at odds with each other and will have their dispute play out in federal court.

Beaty’s contract was terminated in November 2018. He says that Kansas, through newly hired athletic director Jeff Long, confirmed to him that the termination was without cause and that the school understood its obligation to pay $3 million under the agreement.

Soon thereafter, Kansas started looking for a way out of its obligations, per Beaty.

That is purportedly when Kansas decided to initate an NCAA investigation into the conduct and behavior of one of Beaty’s subordinates. Beaty complains that Kansas used that investigation in an effort to skirt contractual obligations to make the $3 million in payments purportedly owed, and that the school now takes the position that it should be able to retroactively reclassify Beaty’s termination as one with cause.

“Kansas Athletics apparently wants to un-bake the proverbial cake it made,” says Beaty in his Complaint. “It unequivocally terminated Coach Beaty without cause. Post hoc attempts to change that now are unbecoming of the institution that Coach Beaty still holds in great regard. Nevertheless, Coach Beaty will not stand idle and do nothing while Kansas Athletics fails to honor its agreements and commitments to him.”

David Beaty’s Complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas on March 12.