Report: Matt Rhule files arbitration lawsuit against Carolina Panthers

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Nebraska Head Football Coach Matt Rhule has filed an arbitration suit against his former employer, looking to be paid severance compensation, according to a report from CBS Sports.

The suit claims that the Carolina Panthers are refusing to pay Rhule’s severance compensation after he was fired from Carolina and later hired to be Nebraska’s head football coach.

Rhule signed a 7-year contract worth more than $60 million with the Carolina Panthers in January 2020. He was fired in October, 2022.

A source tells CBS Sports that the Panthers will argue Rhule’s Nebraska’s contract violates the league’s anti-tampering policy, which refers to contracts with a new ‘club’. The policy doesn’t specifically distinguish whether a college team could be considered a ‘club’.

Rhule’s contract with Nebraska will pay him $74 million in base salary over eight years.

A conclusion to the arbitration suit is expected in coming weeks. An attorney for Rhule and the Panthers declined to comment to CBS Sports.

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