AUBURN, Ala. -- Former Auburn baseball coach Sunny Golloway has filed suit in federal court seeking payment of his $1 million buyout.
Golloway sued the university board of trustees, athletic director Jay Jacobs and other athletic officials on Tuesday contending he was wrongfully terminated.
Auburn fired Golloway after two seasons "with cause'' in September 2015 but didn't elaborate at the time.
The suit says that Golloway "deserves compensation, and restoration of his good name.'' It also names former Auburn chief operating officer David Benedict, now athletic director at Connecticut, senior associate athletic director Rich McGlynn, athletic administrator Jeremy Roberts and director of baseball operations Scott Duvall.
In a statement, Auburn said the university had no choice but to fire Golloway, contending that he "knowingly and repeatedly broke Auburn and NCAA rules, including an attempt to destroy evidence of his violations.''
Jacobs also issued a statement saying that the suit was an effort to "shake down'' Auburn.
"Instead of recognizing that he broke the rules, Sunny instead lashes out and attacks many members of the Auburn family,'' Jacobs said. "It's sad that it has come to this, but principle and decency require us not to give in. Sunny still has not come to terms with the seriousness of his violations and the reason he was terminated with cause in the first place.''
Golloway came to Auburn after coaching at Oklahoma for nine seasons and leading the Sooners to the 2010 College World Series. He led the Tigers to NCAA postseason play for the first time in five years.