A federal jury agreed that Bob Marcum...

A federal jury agreed that Bob Marcum was fired unjustly and awarded the former South Carolina athletic director $234,425 in damages, a verdict Marcum said restores his reputation.

Marcum said it was the principle--not the money awarded him--that was uppermost in his mind.

“There’s no doubt about that,” Marcum said. “The money’s one thing. We’ve had a lot of expenses, but the most important thing is the verdict. It restores your reputation around the country.”

The nine-woman, three-man jury deliberated about five hours over two days before returning its verdict, ending the breach-of-contract lawsuit brought by Marcum against the university.

The dispute between Marcum and the university began on March 1, 1988, when school President James B. Holderman fired him.

While his written contract went through 1990, Marcum said Holderman had agreed orally to extend it to 1993. The school said no such oral agreement existed.