A judge ruled earlier today that Oakland University must provide former women's basketball coach Beckie Francis with a nearly unredacted copy of an investigative report that led to her June 12 firing.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the university had previously provided Francis with a copy of the report, but much of it was blacked out. Oakland County Judge Martha Anderson ruled that the report is part of Francis' personnel record and ordered the university to turn it over. She added that university officials could black out names of students interviewed for the report, certain sections protected by attorney/client priviledge and some sections relating to people other than Francis.
It is believed that Francis will use the report to decide whether to sue Oakland University for wrongful termination.
Francis was fired the day her husband, then-university president Gary Russi, suddenly retired. No public explanation was given at the time for her dismissal. A Free Press investigation that included interviews with 15 former players uncovered allegations that Francis was mentally and emotionally abusive, and obsessed with players' eating habits and body fat. The university also claims that Francis ignored orders to separate her religion from her coaching.
