Houston Nutt files breach of contract lawsuit against Ole Miss

BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 20: Head coach Houston Nutt of the Ole Miss Rebels argues a call during the game against the Louisiana State University Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 20: Head coach Houston Nutt of the Ole Miss Rebels argues a call during the game against the Louisiana State University Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Houston Nutt filed a lawsuit against Ole Miss on Wednesday. What are the claims of the suit, and how legitimate is Nutt’s case?

On July 12, Houston Nutt filed a lawsuit in the U.S district court in Oxford against his former employer. Nutt is claiming that Ole Miss defamed him by blaming the majority of the school’s alleged NCAA offenses on him.

There was certainly a lot of enmity surrounding Nutt’s departure from Oxford. After a pair of 9-4 seasons and Cotton Bowl victories in 2008 and 2009, Nutt simply couldn’t sustain the momentum. Ole Miss went 6-18 in his final two years. Then Houston Nutt resigned at the end of the 2011 season.

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The deal stipulated that both sides were to refrain from defaming the other. As an analyst with CBS Sports, Nutt must temper his critiques when it comes time to talk about the Rebels. The lawsuit argues that the university did not afford him the same courtesy, in breach of their negotiated buyout.

But before we weigh an opinion on this matter, let’s actually get to the heart of the lawsuit. You can read in full here, but most people won’t have time to do that. So here are some of the structural questions that can help you navigate the waters.