LITTLE ROCK -- In his first public comments since his dismissal, former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson signaled that he would fight a buyout of his contract, beginning with a meeting Monday with the university president.

"I did not resign or retire, nor did I request to be bought, and I have not been bought out of my contract," Richardson said in a statement to The Associated Press, his first public comment since UA-Fayetteville Chancellor John A. White announced his decision March 1 to buy out the remaining six years of Richardson's contract.

Richardson said he had authorized his lawyer, John Walker of Little Rock, to provide documents to UA system President B. Alan Sugg "which I believe support my position" in advance of the meeting at 10 a.m. Monday. The meeting is part of Sugg's review of Richardson's dismissal.

The embattled coach made no other statement and answered no questions.

The meeting is to be at the university system office in Little Rock.

The AP reviewed some of the documents provided to Sugg, including a June 21, 2001, memo to White in which Athletic Director Frank Broyles recommend that the university not extend Richardson's contract another year.

Also included was an exchange of correspondence in which the Arkansas Razorback Foundation proposed a new contract relating to Richardson's television show and Richardson's refusal to accept the proposal, which included good-conduct clauses that prohibited the coach from making disparaging remarks about the university.

Copies of Richardson's letter to foundation president Chuck Dicus refusing the addition to his contract went to Broyles and White.

The documents contained a Feb. 12 memo to White in which Broyles contended Richardson had made disparaging remarks about the university in a newspaper article, and that football coach Houston Nutt was upset.

Arkansas bought out Richardson's contract after Richardson said twice publicly following a Feb. 23 loss at Kentucky that, if the school would buy out his contract, he would leave. Before the contract was ended March 1, Richardson said he wanted to stay.

The documents provided to Sugg included White's narratives of the series of events that led to his decision.

A March 5 narrative refers to a Feb. 24 meeting initiated by Broyles in which the athletic director sought to share with White "what he thought we should do" with Richardson and that Broyles "thought Nolan was signaling that he wanted out."

Earlier that day, White told reporters that Richardson was frustrated in the throes of a difficult season and made remarks about the buyout in the heat of the moment.

In an addendum to the narrative, White refers to a conversation he had with university spokesman Roger Williams before 9 a.m. on Feb. 25 in which the chancellor confided in Williams that he had made a decision to take Richardson up on his offer to have his contract bought out.

Williams said the account was accurate. It occurred hours before an afternoon news conference in which Richardson criticized the media and fans, said he was treated differently than others in the athletic departments because he is black, and said he only answered to Broyles, Sugg and White. He later clarified his comment to say he only meant a few reporters and a small percentage of fans.

The documents also contained a Sept. 23, 1998, memo from Broyles placed in Richardson's file, in which Broyles recounts a confrontation between Broyles and Richardson over a change in a shoe contract in which Richardson shouted "just fire me and pay me off. I want to be fired."

At the time, according the memo, Broyles said Richardson's suggestion that he be fired was "ridiculous" and that he "had no reason" to fire Richardson.

Walker, Richardson's lawyer, said the documents showed that the university had no reason to take action against the coach.

"I do not feel that coach Richardson comported himself any differently in 2002 than he did the previous years when he felt that he was the victim some kind of unfair treatment or an uneven playing field," he said.

Broyles, Nutt and White could not be reached Friday afternoon for comment. UA spokesman Roger Williams said the university officials would not discuss the issue.

"This is a personnel matter, there is a meeting on Monday morning. My understanding is, we need to limit our public comments until this meeting can take place," Williams said.