It's been nearly two years since New Mexico coach Mike Locksley was accused of choking, punching and publicly berating assistant coach J.B. Gerald and the case just will not go away.
Earlier this month, a federal court dismissed the case against Locksley (right), stating that it wasn't strong enough. So Gerald refiled a hostile work environment lawsuit against the University of New Mexico and head football coach Mike Locksley on Tuesday.
Locksley had a tumultuous first season at New Mexico in 2009. Besides Gerald's claim, a former administrative assistant also accused Locksley of sexual harassment, age discrimination and retaliation. That case was ultimately settled.
It didn't help that Locksley's team went 1-11, the worst for the Lobos since going winless in 1987.
Locksley weathered the storm, kept his job and turned to for NFL coach Tony Dungy for advice and mentorship. While Locksley stayed clean off the field, New Mexico didn't get much better on it as it went 1-11 again.
Locksley once again kept his job, but his buyout was renegotiated in March and reduced from $365,000 per year to $150,000 per year owed if fired. There's also no penalty for Locksley to leave voluntarily before his contract expires in 2014.
Nothing about those negotiations signaled good things for the embattled head coach and Gerald's newest lawsuit is just another thing critics can continue to point to for as long as Locksley leads the Lobos.
Gerald has maintained all along that the suit is less about money and more about accountability by the university and Locksley. However, getting that closure might be difficult. This is Gerald's third suit against Locksley and the school. The prior two have been dismissed.
Tricia Helfer Elena Lyons Brooke Burns Lena Headey Ali Larter
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