Michigan Professor Behind Profanity-Laced Videos is Out, Settlement Reached With Ferris State

The longtime Ferris State University Professor who released a profanity-laced video to his students has ended his legal battle with the university and has announced his plan to retire.

Barry Mehler is retiring from the institution effective immediately and has settled his lawsuit against Ferris for $95,000 and has agreed to a three-year gag order.

Mehler's Obscenity-Laced Video Went Viral Earlier This Year

In January of this year, Mehler released an introductory video to his students that was rife with F-bombs. The longtime professor called his students 'vectors of disease,' a reference to the coronavirus pandemic and Mehler's disapproval of the University's return to in-person classes.

The video - which he later referred to as a scripted performance piece - also informed students that their grades would be randomly assigned before any coursework was completed.

"None of you [expletives] are good enough to earn an A in my class," Mehler muses. "So I randomly assign grades before the first day of class. I don't want to know s--- about you, I don't even want to know your name."

He later clarified that his grading system was not random, further indicating that the video's content was dramatized.

Mehler's Lawsuit Settled

After the video's release, the 75-year-old history professor was suspended from the university. He then filed a lawsuit against the university, demanding that he be reinstated, but a judge denied that request earlier this year.

Mehler and the university have now officially parted ways. He has accepted a $95,000 settlement from his former employer and both parties have agreed not to speak ill of each other for a three-year period.