Report: Bob Shoop files counterclaim against Penn State

Penn State fired the opening salvo in the case involving former defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, now with Tennessee, and Shoop seems to have returned the favor.

Days after it was reported Penn State was suing Shoop for almost $900,000 in liquidated damages stemming from his failure to fulfill contract obligations, Shoop has filed a counterclaim against the university, according to Mark Wogenrich of The Morning Call.

In his claim, Shoop states he signed his contract with Penn State "under duress" and was later "constructively discharged/terminated" in January 2016. Penn State originally claimed that Shoop resigned on his own accord, therefore evoking a clause that required him to pay 50 percent of his base pay for the remainder of that contract.

Shoop also says in his counterclaim the buyout clause was "unreasonable," and "unenforceable," according to Wogenrich, and Penn State actually owes compensation by terminating him and nullifying the buyout clause while evoking a separate clause.

Additionally, Shoop cites a "hostile, negative work environment," and that "working conditions became intolerable" shortly after signing his contract in 2015.