Back in 2004, the NCAA made allegations of wrongdoing against Mississippi State football coach Jackie Sherrill, who retired after the 2003 season. Four years of NCAA probation followed, but Sherrill never stopped fighting.

Now, 15 years after the NCAA allegations, Sherrill’s name is finally cleared. On Wednesday, he settled a lawsuit he filed against the NCAA.

Sherrill’s lawsuit claimed the NCAA defamed him and drove him out of coaching. After settling the case, Sherrill said he’s just glad to finally have his name cleared (via 247Sports):

“I am extremely happy to have this behind us,” Sherrill said in telephone conversation with Genespage.com. “The main thing you want in something like that is to be vindicated and to be exonerated and that’s what happened today. I don’t know much time and money they spent trying to keep this thing from going forward, but it took them a day and a half of testimony to get it over with.

“You know 18 years is a long time and after a while it really begins to drain you,” Sherrill said. “I just can’t tell you how happy I am to have this resolved and we can put it all behind us. I am ready for my family to be able to do that. This is has been a long time coming and I am happy to be vindicated and there will be release that shows that I have none of this on my record.”

Terms of the settlement were not released, as is common with legal settlements of this type.

Sherrill coached at Mississippi State from 1991 to 2003, going 75-75-2 during his tenure in Starkville.