Bob Shoop, the former Penn State defensive coordinator, has agreed to participate in mediation with the university.   The dispute involves a buyout dispute and mediation should take place sometime within the next two months.   US Middle District Judge Robert D. Mariani encouraged the parties to attempt mediation before taking the issue to court. 

The lawsuit in question was filed by Penn State University against Shoop.   The school claimed Shoop owed nearly $900,000 and had breached his contract after his resignation in January 2016. 

Shoop was hired by the school in January 2014, and claims the school forced him to sign a three year contract renewal in March 2015.   The contracts terms included a base salary for $850,000, and an additional annual guaranteed payment of $150,000, as long as Shoop remained in the position.  

In mid-January 2016, Shoop signed a contract with the University of Tennessee and accepted the school’s offer to become the football team’s defensive coordinator.   There, he would receive a base salary of $245,000 and a supplement of $905,000. 

The contract renewal he had signed in 2015 with Penn State said that he would need to pay liquidated damages of 50 percent should he resign before the contact expired if he was unable to find a coaching job within a year. 

Now, Shoop is filing a counterclaim seeking the dismissal of Penn State’s lawsuit.   He cited “a hostile working environment” and claimed that was the reason he had to leave the position.   He also claims the liquidated damages are no enforceable and that he should have no penalty applied to him because the program did not suffer when he left.