Notre Dame found guilty of age discrimination
Former coach Moore awarded $84,000
Posted: Wednesday July 15, 1998 06:41 PM
LAFAYETTE, Indiana (AP) - A U.S. District Court jury on Wednesday
found the University of Notre Dame guilty of age discrimination.
Fired offensive line coach Joe Moore, 66, was awarded about
$84,000 in back pay and damages. He was seeking about $1 million.
Moore claimed he was fired because Bob Davie thought he was too
old too coach. The Irish head coach said he fired Moore because he
abused players and testified he couldn't stomach the way Moore
conducted himself as a coach.
Moore's attorney said during closing arguments that the
university had invented a slew of minor reasons for firing his
client and accused Davie of lying during his testimony.
Richard Lieberman also played for jurors several segments from
video depositions Irish players gave in which they praised Moore
and testified that Davie had mentioned Moore's age in meetings with
them.
He reminded jurors that Davie himself testified he had remarked
about Moore's age to an assistant out of frustration.
"Why was he frustrated?" Lieberman said. "He was frustrated
because he thought that at that age Moore was too old and should
just get out of the way."
University attorney Bill Hoye recounted several incidents during
closing arguments in which Moore was said to have punched and
slapped players.
"I am talking to you about a coach who crossed the line, a
coach who abused his players," Hoye said before smacking his hands
together five times to illustrate on incident in which Moore is
said to have struck five offensive linemen in 1995.
The trial started Thursday and went through the weekend. The
jury of five women and three men began deliberating the case about
noon Wednesday and reached the verdict at 5 p.m.
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