A good lawyer would never take the case because Mr. Couch is likely an "employee at will," which means that Academy Sports has the legal right to fire him at any time for any reason or no reason at all, provided he is not terminated because of his race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, or in some states, sexual identity.
Yup - fire at will policies don’t exist in companies covered by union contracts. An employer can still fire an employee but only for cause and one has grievance and appeal rights.
The lesson here for is never try to be a hero and let the employer deal with the fallout. Follow company protocol.
It may be dumb or seem counterintuitive but they have reasons for doing things in a particular way.
Deal with it.