AUSTIN (AP) Former Texas coach Tom Penders is in court this week to defend himself against a former assistant's charges of libel and slander.

Former UT assistant Eddie Oran sued Penders in 2000 alleging the coach defamed his character in the aftermath of the release of a player's grades to a local radio station.

Testimony began Tuesday before Travis County Judge Susan Covington.

Oran seeks damages for loss of income, loss of his employment at UT, personal humiliation, and mental anguish and suffering.

He also says he lost the opportunity to continue coaching at the major-college level.

Oran now works for an Austin-area automobile dealership.

In 1998, the grades of former Texas player Luke Axtell were released to KVET-AM in violation of the Buckley Amendment, which protects a student's constitutional right to privacy.

Axtell, who transferred to Kansas, sued Capstar Texas Limited Partnership, the parent company of KVET-AM. In statements under oath in the Axtell suit, Oran said he took the blame for the release of the grades to protect Penders.

Oran was disciplined and lost a week's salary. After Penders resigned with a settlement from UT, Oran was not retained by new coach Rick Barnes.

Although he initially took responsibility for releasing Axtell's grades to KVET, Oran testified at his deposition that he was merely carrying out Penders' orders by instructing the basketball secretary to fax the report.

Oran's suit claims that, in the days surrounding the release of the deposition transcripts, Penders made libelous statements to two newspapers and a radio station and also made slanderous statements to county residents as well as people in the basketball coaching fraternity.

Axtell also sued the University of Texas, Penders, and Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds but that case was dismissed.

The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without prior written authority of The Associated Press.