Baseball

Among Bo Schembechler’s souvenirs as the deposed president of the Detroit Tigers is a napkin that he says proves he had a 10-year agreement with club owner Tom Monaghan, who fired him by fax after 2 1/2 years Monday.

The former University of Michigan football coach and athletic director never had a formal contract but said some figures were scribbled on a paper napkin over lunch. A deal was reached, Schembechler said, and the two shook hands. He has hired a lawyer and said he is prepared to sue if an amicable settlement can’t be reached.

“I had a 10-year commitment. It’s pretty specific,” Schembechler said. “We intend to see that it’s honored. I had to have some justification for leaving a job that I loved.”

Attorney Joseph A. Golden said, “He was to stay with the Tigers for 10 years, or until age 70.”

Monaghan told the Detroit Free Press that he fired Schembechler on the advice from his lawyer after receiving a letter from Golden threatening a lawsuit over contractual issues.

“I said, ‘Is that a threat, or is that not a threat? I don’t know, maybe I’m reading it wrong.’ They said it clearly was a threat,” he said of the July 17 letter.

“I have no animosity toward him, but at the same time, I can’t have someone hold a gun to my head and then negotiate a settlement with a lawsuit.”