Former PSU DC Bob Shoop Says School Forced Him Out, Rips Working Conditions

Former Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop filed a counter lawsuit against the university Thursday, claiming "intolerable" working conditions.

According to the counter filed in U.S. Middle District Court obtained by John Beague of PennLive, Shoop says he "was constructively discharged/terminated from, or forced or compelled to leave his employment with Penn State."

The university is suing Shoop for $900,000 for breach of contract after he left the Nittany Lions for Tennessee in 2016. Shoop is asking for $75,000 in damages.

According to court documents, Shoop says he believes Penn State fired him without cause. The 50-year-old served as the Nittany Lions' defensive coordinator under James Franklin in 2014 and 2015. He was previously Franklin's DC at Vanderbilt from 2011-13.

"Under the terms of his employment contract with Penn State, Coach Shoop is obligated to make a liquidated damages payment to the university resulting from the termination by Coach Shoop of his employment prior to the end of the contract term.  We are filing suit against him to recover this mutually agreed upon amount," Penn State said in a statement.

Shoop did not go into detail on the "intolerable" work conditions he said went on during his tenure.