TrainerGate

Here’s the crux of this goofy lawsuit. In case you missed it, ex-Cub Assistant Trainer Sandy Krum is suing the Cubs for wrongful termination. Krum was fired from his position after the end of the 2004 season.

Let’s piece together information from two sources: Sandy Krum's interview today on WSCR and the lawsuit itself. The lawsuit can be seen in part on The Cub Reporter (excellent job by Ruz, Chief General of the Cubs Blog Army).

Starting with the text of the lawsuit. Krum believes that he:

...was terminated because he informed (Jim) Hendry that the Head Athletic Trainer of the Cubs (Dave Groeschner), their person responsible for making certain that the athletes of the Cubs were able to perform at the best of their ability and to quickly and adequately rehabilitate themselves after injury, was not licensed to so act in the State of Illinois.
...
On or about October 13, 2004, Krum was terminated from his employment with the Cubs. The Cubs continued to pay his salary until December 17, 2004.
...
From August 15, 2004 until his termination, Krum was not told of any deficiencies in his work, was not disciplined, suspended or reprimanded in any manner whatsoever.

But for his informing Hendry that the Head Athletic Trainer of the Cubs was not licensed to perform his duties for the Cubs, Krum would have been retained as an employee of the Cubs.

Basically, Krum says that he’s being fired because he blew the whistle that Groeschner was not a certified trainer. That’s pretty weak.

It gets more interesting when you look at the date that Krum’s pay ran out (December 17th) and the date the lawsuit was filed (just after the 17th). Clearly, Krum is worried about his paycheck. If he was really being vindictive, he might have filed his suit earlier and put his remaining pay at risk. Then, check out the amount of the lawsuit. Krum is only seeking $100,000 in damages. That’s pretty skimpy damages considering he feels he was wrongly terminated by a multi-billion dollar corporation. This doesn’t seem to be about money. At least not big, punitive damages.

Ok. Then what is it about?

Krum was on WSCR today to discuss the suit. He stated quite clearly that he felt that the injuries the Cubs sustained in 2004 were not all his fault, that a qualified trainer could have minimized the effect of some of the injuries, and that his reputation has been irreparably harmed as a result. Were this true, then why only sue for $100,000? If this truly harms his ability to get another job, why not sue for presumptive lost wages over the rest of his lifetime?

It's now perfectly clear lost wages is not what this is about. This is about Krum passing the buck onto Groeschner for the injuries done to the Cubs in 2004. This is about Krum being able to interview for another job and not having to shoulder (ahem!) the blame for Todd Hollandsworth’s leg, Mark Prior’s leg and shoulder, and all the other injuries incurred by the Cubs this past year. Going public with a lawsuit makes it much easier for him as he pursues jobs with other sports team. "It wasn't my fault!" he can say and have a public lawsuit to back him up.

Were Krum really trying to defend himself from wrongful termination he’d be suing for more money and he wouldn't be bemoaning his damaged reputation. This is all about getting his next gig.