Colleges

Ex-assistant coach wins suit, gets $30-million

By wire services
Published July 23, 2005

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - A jury awarded $30-million Friday to former Alabama assistant coach Ronnie Cottrell in his defamation lawsuit against former recruiting analyst Tom Culpepper.

Jurors awarded Cottrell $6-million in compensatory damages and $24-million in punitive damages.

Cottrell's suit claimed Culpepper defamed him by saying he stole money from the Shaun Alexander Foundation, that he stole videotapes from the University of Alabama and that he abandoned his first wife and family in Tallahassee.

Cottrell and former Tide coach Ivy Williams filed suit nearly two years ago against Culpepper and the NCAA, claiming they were unable to find comparable employment following the NCAA's investigation and sanctions against Alabama.

Cottrell is currently the head coach at Carroll High School in Ozark, Ala.

Tennessee Tech men's basketball coach Mike Sutton, fighting a rare illness that attacks the immune system, has been taken off a respirator, his wife said.

Sutton had been on a ventilator since early April when he became ill with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves that causes paralysis. He stopped using the ventilator Monday.

ALABAMA: Defensive end Mark Anderson had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee two days after sustaining the injury in a workout, but is expected to be ready for the season opener.

GEORGIA: Fullback Des Williams will miss the upcoming season after rupturing his right chest muscle while lifting weights this week. Williams faces surgery and a six-month recovery period.

TEMPLE: Temple center Keith Butler, a three-year starter, has withdrawn from the university.

[Last modified July 23, 2005, 01:20:48]