A Michigan professor who was suspended after making a profanity-filled videofor his students is threatening to file a lawsuit if Ferris State University doesn’t quickly lift the sanction.
An attorney for Barry Mehler warned the school in a letter Tuesday, saying the history teacher is protected by the First Amendment and a contract between Ferris State and its faculty.
“The university should be celebrating and defending Dr. Mehler, not summarily disciplining him,” attorney Matthew Hoffer wrote.
“Dr. Mehler has been inundated with letters of support from current students, former students, and university faculty as well as students, educators, and law professors from around the world,” Hoffer said.
Mehler’s 14-minute YouTube video at the start of a new term was peppered with profanities and unusual remarks about grades, plagiarism and classroom attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic. He included commentary about an old Camel cigarette TV ad — “turning death into profit” — and a clip from the HBO series “Deadwood.”
