Former Tennessee athletic director John Currie — who was fired by the school on Dec. 1 — is reportedly in a legal battle with UT.

Washington State president Kirk Schulz, who was Currie’s boss at Kansas State, will not be hiring his former employee as the Cougars’ next athletic director, a report from GoVols247 noted.

Schulz also apparently indicated in a recent interview with the Seattle Times that Currie is in the midst of the legal battle.

“John is not a candidate and would not be an appropriate hire for us at this time,” Schulz said. “John’s got to resolve his issues with Tennessee and is in the middle of a legal battle. We have other terrific candidates who have expressed strong interest.”

Tennessee fans know all too well how wild things got during the coaching search when Currie allegedly went “rogue” to hire Washington State head coach Mike Leach just one day before being replaced by Phillip Fulmer.

Officially, Currie was placed on leave with pay, the GoVols247 report noted.

Tennessee chancellor Beverly Davenport said Currie had been suspended “pending an investigation or decision relating to termination of his Employment Agreement for cause.”

Tennessee would owe Currie a buyout of $5.5 million if it fired him without cause, the report said.