Former Kent State Coach Burns Sues Over April 2025 Firing, Claims Conspiracy to Cut Costs

Kenni Burns is fighting back. The former Kent State football coach filed a lawsuit Monday alleging wrongful termination, breach of contract, and defamation, claiming the university orchestrated his April 2025 firing as part of a money-saving scheme. Burns went 1-23 in two seasons before getting canned, and he's not going quietly.

The P-Card Mess That Started It All

Kent State fired Burns weeks after placing him on administrative leave, citing significant and repetitive violations of his purchasing card along with breaches of the school's conflict of interest and code of conduct policies. But Burns' lawsuit tells a different story: he claims he never received proper training on P-card use and that he provided receipts for several expenses flagged in an audit that followed an October 2024 suspension of his card.

Here's where it gets interesting. According to the complaint, Burns actually sent Kent State a check for more than $7,000 to cover disputed P-card expenses, and the school cashed it several weeks later. If the violations were so egregious, why accept the money?

The Awad Loan and Financial Struggles

Burns' complaint reveals he faced financial hardship while coaching at Kent State, partly because he had to temporarily relocate after flooding damaged his home. The school's own investigative report shows Burns received a substantial loan from Mike Awad, a prominent booster and vendor, to help cover flood damage costs. The problem: that arrangement violated Kent State's conflict of interest policy.

But here's what Burns' lawsuit emphasizes: he repaid Awad $109,000 over a 14-month span in 2023 and 2024. The complaint states that Burns accepted several monthly loans from Awad that he repaid with interest, and crucially, that he disclosed the financial dealings with Awad to executive deputy athletic director Greg Glaus. According to Burns' version, Glaus told him there would be no problem and that other Kent State employees had engaged in similar business arrangements with Awad.

Kent State named Mark Carney interim coach for the 2025 season and gave him the permanent role on October 30. Now Burns is claiming the whole firing was less about violations and more about the university wanting to shed a contract. The case will test whether disclosure to an AD actually shields a coach from consequences, or whether conflicts of interest are conflicts no matter what.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.