Cal Faculty Petitions to Suspend Coach Damon Harrington's Contract Renewal

Faculty members employed by the University of California, Berkeley have petitioned the school to suspend the renewal of Damon Harrington's contract as the football team's strength and conditioning coach.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle's Nanette Asimov, the petition cropped up after an investigation by the paper reportedly revealed the school didn't do a thorough or impartial job evaluating potentially harmful practice conditions.

The San Jose Mercury News' Katy Murphy reported the San Francisco Chronicle discovered that "a 2014 inquiry into allegations of reckless conditioning practices that may have contributed to the death of a Cal football player was flawed and led by investigators with ties to athletics department personnel."

The school's investigation reportedly absolved Harrington of wrongdoing after he put players through a hill-climbing drill that resulted in the death of walk-on defensive lineman Ted Agu in February 2014.

However, the school admitted it was liable for Agu's death in January, per the San Francisco Chronicle's Kimberly Veklerov. In April, Veklerov reported the university paid Agu's family $4.75 million per the terms of a wrongful-death lawsuit settlement.

According to Murphy, Harrington is also alleged to have provoked a locker room attack on Fabiano Hale in 2013 resulting in the running back being knocked unconscious.

"If there is any truth to the allegations in the San Francisco Chronicle, condoning such behavior of its employees is out of keeping with any university that is accountable to its students and concerned to protect their safety and welfare," the petition reads. "We, therefore, call for further independent investigation before renewing Harrington's contract."

Asimov reported that Harrington's contract expired Friday, although it's not yet clear if the school has committed to renewing it.