Former Kent State football coach Kenni Burns is suing the university and a number of Kent State officials for wrongful termination, breach of contract and defamation, according to a report from ESPN.
Burns, who was fired in April of 2025 after posting a 1-23 record over two seasons leading the Golden Flashes, reportedly alleges that his firing was a part of the school’s conspiracy to save money.
Along with the school, Kent State president Todd Diacon, senior vice president for finance and administration Mark Polatajko, general counsel David Ochmann and the school’s board of trustees are listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
Before his firing, Burns was placed on administrative leave by the school and eventually fired for “personal, improper or unsubstantiated purchases on his school purchasing card” as well as an investigation of a six-figure loan he received from a university booster, according to multiple media reports.
However, Burns claims in his lawsuit that he was never given proper training for purchasing card usage, that he provided receipts and paid the university a portion of the improper card usage back in the form of a check for over $7,000 which the school cashed.
Burns’ filing also discusses financial struggles while coaching at Kent State because of a temporary relocation due to flooding and because the school wasn’t paying him his full salary.
That led to Burns accepting a loan from booster and university vendor Mike Awad, which Burns says was cleared by a university official while Kent State’s investigative report found there was “conflicting evidence” if this loan was shared with the university.
Burns’ lawsuit says that he accepted a number of monthly loans from Awad, but that they were paid back with interest. The school’s investigative report showed that Burns repaid Awad $109,000 over a series of payments in a 14-month period from 2023-24.
With regard to the firing, the filing states that the groundwork for the move was laid in early 2024 when the two sides were finalizing a one-year extension through 2028 which included an amendment that shifted what Burns would be paid if fired for cause from a percentage of the total contract (roughly $2 million) to a percentage of his base salary in the season he was fired (approximately $371,000).
“Upon information and belief, the ‘error’ in the First Amendment allowed Kent State’s plan to wrongfully terminate Kenni Burns’ to move forward, saving the University money by not having to comply with the buy-out terms of Kenni Burns’ original contract,” Burns’ lawsuit says on the matter.
The lawsuit also alleges that Burns, while on administrative leave, was approached by Ochmann, who asked if he would accept money to “quietly walk away.” Per the filing, he was given one day to consider the offer before he was informed the school would continue seeking a for-cause termination.
A spokesperson for the University told ESPN, that Kent State does not comment on pending litigation.
