Former Evansville men’s basketball coach Walter McCarty is suing the school, saying that he is owed more than $75,000.
The lawsuit, filed Dec. 20 by attorney Jonathan Little, says McCarty is owed $48,000 for an “exceptional fundraising bonus” for the 2018-19 season, and another amount for the 2019-20 season that is undetermined but about which it is “believed that this amount is equal to or greater than” his first season.
The lawsuit also alleges that the Evansville fired McCarty because “it could not afford the contractual obligations resulting from Mr. McCarty’s success.”
McCarty sent ESPN the following statement:
“What the public does not know is my contract with the University of Evansville stated I would receive 20% of men’s basketball ticket sales and 25% of the fundraising dollars the program raised as an incentive bonus to my base salary. After beating the number one team in the nation, garnering national publicity for the University, and putting the men’s basketball program on a winning trajectory, that number I was owed was significant. I never received a dime. As the University’s financial struggles recently have become well publicized, it is hard to not believe the blatant breach of contract and the bleak finances of the University did not contribute to the administration denying me due process in hopes their financial burdens could be solved with a simple settlement.”
McCarty was put on administrative leave by Evansville on Dec. 26, 2019, after accusations of sexual misconduct and violations of Evansville’s Title IX policy. McCarty was fired by the school on Jan. 21, 2020, after a school investigation revealed additional allegations of off-court misconduct, according to the university.
In April 2021, a former student filed a lawsuit against the University of Evansville, saying that she was sexually assaulted by McCarty.
McCarty was hired by Evansville after spending six seasons as an assistant coach in the NBA for the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, and he spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Louisville under Rick Pitino.
Most notably during his Evansville tenure, McCarty led the Aces to a victory at No. 1 Kentucky, one of the biggest upsets in recent college basketball history. The Aces went 20-25 under McCarty.