The Tallahassee Democrat reported Sunday that George Cotton Sr., vice president for university advancement and director of the FAMU Foundation, has filed an official complaint with the university’s division of audit and compliance regarding derogatory comments between Robinson and board member Thomas Dortch that were heard on WANM radio.
The remarks were picked up on a live mic after a Nov. 29 board of trustees committee meeting. According to individuals who heard the conversation, Robinson allegedly said he planned to fire Cotton. Listeners also heard negative remarks about Cotton’s personality and productivity.
When reached by Diverse on Monday, Cotton said his attorney had advised him not to be interviewed. He also declined to provide a copy of the complaint materials to Diverse. However, he did confirm the accuracy of the documents as they were published by the newspaper—a letter from Cotton to President Robinson outlining his concerns and an official complaint sent to Richard Givens, vice president for audit and compliance, detailing alleged improprieties by three board members.
“I can verify that what was published is valid and does accurately represent my complaint,” Cotton told Diverse. He also said he could confirm that “numerous people, untold numbers of people” heard the radio broadcast including staffers in his office, and that three people came to him and stated that they heard Robinson say he planned to terminate him. Cotton, himself, did not hear the broadcast.
Givens said Cotton’s complaint, received in his office on Dec. 1, has been forwarded to the State University System of Florida Board of Governors (BOG).
“We referred it to the BOG and discussed it with them because we report directly to the (university’s) board of trustees and the president, so we are not independent,” Givens told Diverse. “They’re evaluating the information to determine what the next steps would be.”
