University council cuts short Price appeal of his firing

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - Mike Price&#39;s appeal of his firing as Alabama&#39;s football coach was cut short Wednesday by the university&#39;s Staff Mediation Council, prompting Price&#39;s lawyer to say a lawsuit will be filed within two weeks. <br> <br> The council, composed of faculty and staff, decided not to send the Price appeal to a hearing panel, which would review the employment termination case and make a recommendation to University Chancellor Malcolm Portera. <br> <br> The council&#39;s decision ``accelerates our trip to the courthouse,&#39;&#39; said Price&#39;s attorney, Stephen Heninger of Birmingham. <br> <br> University President Robert Witt asked the council to reconsider its decision and let a hearing panel, also made up of faculty and staff, consider Price&#39;s appeal. University spokeswoman Janet Griffith said the possibility of avoiding a lawsuit ``would be one reason to hopefully allow this avenue of appeal.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> It wasn&#39;t immediately known if the council would reconsider. <br> <br> Heninger contends the university didn&#39;t follow its own policy of ``progressive discipline&#39;&#39; toward employees. ``They just came down with the hammer rather than doing anything progressively,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Price, who came to Alabama from Washington State after last season, had a seven-year, $10 million deal to coach the Crimson Tide. The contract was unsigned, and Witt said he decided to fire Price on grounds of conduct not in keeping with university policy. Witt has said Price should not receive any severance pay. <br> <br> Witt acted after it was learned that Price had gone to a topless bar in Pensacola, Fla., on April 16 and that a woman billed about $1,000 worth of room service to his hotel room the next morning. The university hired Miami Dolphins assistant Mike Shula as its new head coach May 8.