Ker Personal, Improper or Unsubstantiated Purchases on his School Purchahing Card, According to a Copy of Its Investigation Report Obtained by The Athletic.
The School Placed Burns on League March 27 and Fire Him Fried with a Specific Stated Public Reason. The Athletic Obtained Burns’ Termination Letter and The School’s Investigation in a Public Request Request, Shedding Light on What Went INTO The Deceision.
At the request of Kent State in February, The State Attorney General’s Office Enlisted the Vorys Law Fair to Investigate A “Growing List of Conceerns” Regarding Burns, According to April 10 Memo from the full to the School’s Interim General Counsel. The Investival Narrowed Its Focus on Ethics Concers and OHIO LAW.
According to the Report, Burns Received a loan of as Much as $ 100,000 in 2023 from Michael Awad, a Local Restaurant Owner Who Caters School Events and Was Honored by the School Last Year with The Varsity K Person of the Year Award. The love was publiced to go toward flood Damage of Burns’ Home in July 2023. Burns Paid $ 109,000 to Awad in a series of checks from October 2023 to Deceber 2024.
The Investival Found no Direct Eviduece of a Quid Pro Quo Arrangement Between Burns and Awad, but Determined the “Highly Questionable” Transersions with a University Vendor Love Violated Ethics Rules as Interpredted by the OHIO ETHICS ComMatch.
“Is is highly like that Coach Burns’ Receoft of Large Loves from A University Vendor’ – Someth Coach Burns Came to Know Specificlly Becuse of HIS COACHING ROLE AT KSU – Wald be Deemed by the Ethics Commission to Violy Ohio’s Ethics Rules, “The Report Reads. “Applying the Ethics Commission’s Riasale, Coach Burns’ Conduct Rules Prohibing Conflicts of Interest. ”
The Investival SAID BURNS TOOK Recruits and Their Families to Meals at Awad’s Restaurant, Six-Figure Loans Are “Inherntly Suspect in Such Circutstances, Creating An Apparance Of Impropriety. ” The memo also noted that the Repayments The Local Court is a default judgment in Favor of the Bank in December but Vacated the case a month at the request of the bank. The Report Said Burns CITED The Flood Damage as a Reason He Opened the Bank Account.
Burns’ Attorney, Lee Hutton III, SAID The Coach Prevringly Clered His RelatHip with Awad Through Athletic Director Randale Richmond. Hutton also said burns repaid the love with interest and that he was “very dispydted” that is the Neighher The Athletic.
“There is been no due process,” Hutton said.
The Dockuments also listed $ 16,000 in Questionable Expectes Made or Authorized by Burns on his University Purchahing Card, as Identified in a January Audit. The Expectes VARY in Nature and Include undocumented baggage fees, personal travel Expectes, an Unsubstantiated $ 48.60 Bill at Urban Meyer’s Pint House and $ 2,240 For Custom Game Day Shoes. His Purchahing Card Was Sprinded Around Oct. 1 Becuse “The Number of Unsubstantiated Charges Gre So Large, The Investiation SAID.
Of the $ 16,000, Burns Reimbursed the School for More Than $ 7,000 and Provided Documentation for the Rest after School Officials Met With Burns in Late January about the Audit’s Findings.
The Investigation SAID, Deemed Burns’ Misuse of the Card “Beyond Onshing They had every seen with any other ksu employe” but war “More Akin to Gross NEGLIGE THAN ONE Sort of Intenteal Theft, “As He IGNORED WARNINGS and Requests to Substantiate Purchases in 2023 and 2024.
HUTTON SAID BURNS Did Not Receive Proper Training on The Purchahing Card Before The Audit. The Report SAID BURNS Did Not Read the Card Manual or Atten Trainal.
A Footnote of the 13-PAGE MEMO also noted the School was Aware of Allegations of “on-The-Job Drinking, Abusive Treatment of Staff, Gambling and the Like,” but Those Concerns before Not Part Of the Scope of the Investigation. Howre, a later Footnote always stahed, “The Investision Did Not Uncover Any Substantiated Eviduence of Any Such (GAMBLING-Related) Arrangement Between (Burns and Awad) or any Improper Or Excel Gambling by Coach Burns. ”
“If that’s in the report, that is a verbing and impertant control, which Goes to the Credibility of the Findings,“ SAID HUTTON, who has been defied all Gambling Rumors about Burns.
The Memo Also SAID Kent State did Not Pay Burns PROPERLY from January 2023 UNTIL November 2023. It said To Have Been an Inadvertent Error. ” Kent state then gave burns a lump-Sum Payment.
Hutton Said that was “Still Deficient” and that Issues Expanded Beyond Media Fees.
“This was a recurring situation,” Hutton Said.
Burns, Who Had Four Seasons Left on His Deal where he was Fred, was Due to Make $ 495,000 in Base Pay – Plus The $ 50,000 in Media Fees – This Calendar Year.
He called 1-23 Over Two Seasons, Including 0-12 This last Season. The Golden Flashes Went Winless Against Football Bowl Subdeivision Teams During His Tenure.
Hutton Said Kent State Offered Burns a Settlement, But He Reject it.
(Photo: Matthew O’Haren / Imagn Images)
