An independent arbitrator has ruled that UConn improperly terminated former men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie and ordered them to pay him more than $11 million, ESPN reports.

The ruling states that Ollie is due $11,157,032.95 within the next 10 business days.

Ollie, who led UConn to a national championship in 2014, released a statement after his victory was announced

"In closing, I wish to assure the University of Connecticut community, my alma mater and an institution that has meant so much to me over the years, that the university will always have a special place in my heart and will always be a part of my family,'' Ollie's statement said.

Jacques Parenteau, Ollie’s attorney, called Thursday's ruling from arbitrator Mark Irvings a "total vindication."  

Parenteau said the NCAA sanctions against Ollie were "erroneous and unfounded” and the arbitrator’s decision proves it.

"This arbitration clearly established—after 33 days of hearings and the testimony and cross-examination of actual witnesses under oath—that Kevin Ollie did not violate the NCAA rules that were used to justify the draconian sanctions imposed on him,'' Parenteau and co-counsel William Madsen said in a statement. "The arbitrator correctly found that there was no just cause to terminate Kevin Ollie's employment as the head coach of an NCAA basketball team.''

In a statement, reps from UConn said that it "vigorously disagrees" with the arbitrator's decision.

According to UConn, the ruling only stated that they should have waited for the NCAA's decision before firing Ollie and said it strongly disagrees with that decision, saying it did not have "the luxury of waiting more than a year before terminating Ollie for the misconduct the university was aware he had engaged in.''

"The arbitrator's decision is nonsensical and seriously impedes the university's ability to manage its athletics program,'' the university said in a statement. "It also sends a signal to other coaches in Connecticut that they may ignore NCAA rules with impunity and continue to be employed and paid.''

Parenteau and Madsen argued that UConn failed to live up to the agreement between the school and the American Association of University Professors, of which Ollie is a member. The agreement requires evidence of serious misconduct before an employee is terminated for "just cause" and also provides Ollie protection by his union.

Ollie was fired in 2018 after the school reported numerous NCAA violations in his program. Because of his termination, he was restricted from coaching in the NCAA for three years. 

Currently, Ollie is coaching at Overtime Elite, a league that prepares top prospects who skip college and plan on going straight to the pros.