Former OSU Marching Band director Jonathan Waters directs the alumni band during a Sept. 13 football game against Kent State.
Credit: Mark Batke / Photo editor
Fired Ohio State Marching Band director Jonathan Waters will start searching for a new job, his lawyer told The Lantern on Tuesday afternoon.
Attorney David Axelrod said Waters has not been offered another position since he was terminated July 24. He was fired after an OSU investigation found that the marching band contained a sexualized culture that Waters was either aware of or reasonably should have been aware of, but did not do enough to stop.
“Jon has not received any offers and he will aggressively pursue other work,” Axelrod said. He added, however, this is not the time of year when universities are typically hiring band directors.
Still, Waters and his attorney filed a lawsuit against OSU and members of its leadership on Sept. 26 in the U.S. District Court. Part of that lawsuit seeks Waters’ reinstatement and $1 million in compensatory damages.
Axelrod said Waters will look for a new gig in the meantime.
“If he has another job and he’s ordered reinstated, we will cross that bridge when we get to it because he is a productive person and he’s not a person who is going to sit around and wait for something to come to him,” Axelrod said. “Maybe he will make the ‘best damn band in the land for somebody else.’”
