Savannah State U. Pays $240,000 to White Coach in Reverse-Discrimination Suit
Former Savannah State football coach Robby Wells received compensation of $350,000, which included $110,000 to his attorneys, to settle his discrimination lawsuit against the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and SSU administrators.
The Savannah Morning News learned details of the agreement after issuing a freedom of information request for documents on the case.
Wells was suing the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia; former SSU President Earl Yarbrough; former SSU Vice President of Administration Claud Flythe; former SSU interim athletic director Marilynn Stacey-Suggs; and assistant athletic director Shed Dawson.
The parties released public statements of closure to the case Nov. 21 but gave no specifics.
Savannah State University and the Georgia Department of Administrative Service agreed to pay Wells $240,000 and his attorneys Schwartz Rollins LLC $110,000.
SSU and the Board of Regents do not consider the payment an admission to fault or liability.
“I think I can say on behalf of Savannah State, time moves forward not backward, and we’re moving forward,” said SSU attorney Joe Steffen.
John Millsaps of the Board of Regents responded to an email, saying, “At this time, we do not have any comment on this matter.”
SSU interim president Cheryl Dozier referred to a statement the school gave Nov. 21. Savannah State called Wells “the (school’s) most successful on-the-field coach in a decade” and absolved him and his staff of any blame for sanctions against the football program.
According to the final documents, Wells dropped his suit and, among other considerations, agreed to withdraw an application for employment as athletics director at Savannah State.