LORMAN — Despite comments made by lawyers for Alcorn State head football coach Ernest Jones, university President George Ross said Jones still has a job.

“Coach Jones has not been fired,” Ross said. “We have a head coach. There is no head coach search.”

Ross said he could not speak for Jones as to why the first-year head coach believes he has been terminated, and he said he has not spoken personally to Jones.

Jones’ lawyer, Wayne Ferrell of Jackson, has said he received a letter Dec. 8 signed by Athletic Director Darren Hamilton stating Jones’ four-year contract had been terminated. The letter was received three days after Jones filed a $3 million lawsuit in Hinds County against the university.

The lawsuit specifically names Ross and Athletic Director Darren Hamilton, as well as the Mississippi Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning.

According to the lawsuit, Jones is seeking $1.5 million in actual damages and another $1.5 million in damages “suffered as a result of detrimental reliance upon false promises” made by the university.

Jones claims the university did not meet several contractual agreements.

Jones’ other attorney, Ricky Lefft, declined to comment Thursday, and the coach could not be reached.

Both Ross and Hamilton declined to comment on the litigation, and Hamilton said he did not know why Jones thought he had been fired.

“I wish I could speak for him, but I can’t,” Hamilton said. “I don’t know.”

The lawsuit followed the firing of seven assistant football coaches, allegedly without Jones’ knowledge.

Associate head coach Earnest Collins, offensive coordinator Dino Dawson, running backs coach Terrance Robinson, linebackers coach Zach Shay, secondary coach Jack Phillips, strength and conditioning coach Lorenzo Guess and defensive line coach Lorenzo Guess each received letters in their boxes from Hamilton the evening before Thanksgiving Day notifying them their one-year contracts would not be renewed.

But in a Dec. 8 meeting with Ross, all seven coaches were reinstated.

Their contracts ended Dec. 31, but Ross said the coaches have been retained by the university.

“Those contracts expired, but they are employed at-will,” Ross said. “They work here like everybody else. They are still working hard, out recruiting and headed to some big conference.”

Hamilton said their contracts have not been renewed, and he said it was up to Ross to renew them.

Hamilton said it was important to have assistant coaches in place.

“We wanted to make sure we continue to recruit, retain and graduate student-athletes,” he said. “We wanted to ensure that our program moves forward as planned.”

Hamilton has refused to explain his reasoning for firing the coaches in the first place but said the decision was made a day after the Braves’ 26-21 loss to Jackson State in the Capital City Classic Nov. 22 in Jackson.

The Braves went 2-10 in their first season under Jones but lost six games by 6 points or less and four games in the final minute of play.