Grambling head football coach Broderick Fobbs is making headlines again, but this time it has nothing to do with wins or loses.
A report published Friday by the Baton Rouge Advocate revealed the second-year head coach is facing nepotism charges by the Louisiana Board of Ethics due to the fact that his father, Lee, serves as the Tigers’ running back coach.
State law bans members of the immediate family of an agency head from being employed in their agency.
The board also alleged that Lee Fobbs violated another ethics provision when he received $65,000 in annual compensation from the Grambling University Foundation Inc.
State law bans a public employee from receiving a thing of economic value for the performance of their duties from anyone other than their government employer. In Lee Fobbs case, the Ethics Board said the employer is Grambling State University and the payment from the foundation was improper.
State Sen. Rick Gallot, the attorney for Lee Fobbs, said there have been no violations of the state’s code of government ethics.
Gallot said Coach Fobbs’ father is “a volunteer who is an employee of the Foundation.” He said when his client was an employee of the university he was not under the supervision of his son. “He was under the supervision of the athletics director,” said Gallot.
Gallot also questioned why the Ethics Board is questioning his client receiving compensation through the foundation. “It begs the question why other schools have entered into these types of arrangements yet Grambling is singled out,” Gallot said.
The Ethics Board issued the nepotism charges during an Oct. 15 meeting, but released them to the public Thursday according to the report.
On the nepotism charge, the Fobbs could be subject to a fine of up to $10,000 each. Coach Fobbs could also face censure, while his father removal, suspension or a reduction in pay or demotion.
On Lee Fobbs other charge penalties can be levied equal to the “economic advantage.”
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