Coaching Buyouts and Contract Extensions Thread

[CatsbyAZ]

PJ Fleck is 5-6 to start his Minnesota tenure and gets a contract extension!?!?!?! Till 2023?

On the heels of getting blown out by Northwestern last weekend?

"...the terms of the deal will become official with the approval by the University's Board of Regents."
"...the terms of the deal will become official with the approval by the University's Board of Regents."

To pick up where I left off in the Hot Seats thread, this is where State level Board of Regents should start asking questions rather continuing to live out the days of rubberstamping.

Ask what in the world has Fleck accomplished thus far that warrants adding two more years and upping the overall buyout? (Fleck's initial contract already paid him $3.6 Million/year for 5 years.)

And ask the AD why it's necessary to expose so much public money to the risk of buying-out a trigger happy contract extensions

UCLA's coaching change (firing Mora Jr + hiring new guy) will amount to an over $20 Million transaction against UC's cash-strapped system, thanks in large part because of a lazy AD wanting to pat himself on the back by justifying the hire with a premature, risky extension.

[ELA]

Jeff Long just lost his job because of the terrible extension he gave Bielema.

[CatsbyAZ]

Speaking of Contract Extensions, Fox Sports' Brady Quinn is reporting that Michigan is working on offering Jim Harbaugh a LIFETIME contract:

"I talked to someone who's kind of an insider within that program and we had a long, drawn-out conversation. What he told me was, they're working on a lifetime contract. I swear to you, I'm not trying to throw a wrench into [Harbaugh returning to the NFL]. That was his words. He couldn't give me particulars, but he said that's one of the things that they're talking about. That's how confident, that's how good they feel about Jim Harbaugh and how glad they are to have him there. So, maybe it's something that he wants."

[LittlePig]

Wow, can you imagine what Harbaugh will get if he ever finishes above 3rd in the Big Ten East?

[Brutus Buckeye]

Here's hoping that Fox Sports' Brady Quinn is correct. 

[847badgerfan]

RE: Fleck

It wouldn't surprise me if "his people" planted a seed that he could be poking around for his next "dream job".

Wouldn't surprise me whatsoever, to be perfectly blunt.

[FearlessF]

coaches only get multi-million dollar contracts AND huge buyout clauses, because ADs and fan bases are desperate for a winner

if I could negotiate a deal like that for myself, I wouldn't feel guilty about it

but, yes, it's stoopid for the Gophers to pile more money onto a contract for a guy that has proven absolutely nothing in less than one year

[CatsbyAZ]

This is what I’ve been waiting for - a school (kind’ve/sort’ve) admitting that they can’t afford to pay the unrealistic buyout of their underperforming HC. In this case Louisville, potentially owing a lot of lawsuit money to Rick Petino and former AD Jurich, plus having paid millions to buyout Chris Mack from Xavier, is realizing that red finances  might force Louisville to keep Bobby Petrino no matter how much worse their 2-4 season gets.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.yahoo.com/amphtml/sports/board-member-louisville-may-not-able-afford-bobby-petrinos-buyout-154020569.html

Going forward I would expect more schools in the same position, followed eventually by hirings with lower buyouts.

[847badgerfan]

I respect schools and AD's for going stupid on contracts. I wonder what UCLA is thinking right about now. It will be interesting out there. Chip Kelly has never built a program, and he left Oregon with a show-cause label on his forehead.

[Kris60]

I respect schools and AD's for going stupid on contracts. I wonder what UCLA is thinking right about now. It will be interesting out there. Chip Kelly has never built a program, and he left Oregon with a show-cause label on his forehead.

Speaking of which, did anyone see this?
http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/24945390/judge-rules-ncaa-show-cause-penalty-violates-california-law

[847badgerfan]

I forgot about that. Could pose a messy situation for the PAC going forward.



I'm thinking it's a rebuff to the NCAA, but at the same time, schools choose to be members of the NCAA. No school is forced to be that, per se, but it would be difficult to sponsor any athletics without being a member. Maybe the PAC will go NAIA... or the NCAA blows up (which wouldn't hurt my feelings). Things could be due for a reset.

[betarhoalphadelta]

This is what I’ve been waiting for - a school (kind’ve/sort’ve) admitting that they can’t afford to pay the unrealistic buyout of their underperforming HC. In this case Louisville, potentially owing a lot of lawsuit money to Rick Petino and former AD Jurich, plus having paid millions to buyout Chris Mack from Xavier, is realizing that red finances  might force Louisville to keep Bobby Petrino no matter how much worse their 2-4 season gets.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.yahoo.com/amphtml/sports/board-member-louisville-may-not-able-afford-bobby-petrinos-buyout-154020569.html

Going forward I would expect more schools in the same position, followed eventually by hirings with lower buyouts.

This has gotten a lot of run on the Purdue blog because of the Brohm-Louisville connections.
But this in particular is a bit of a weird situation. Most of the B1G are universities first, with athletic departments attached. This is even true of the biggest of the athletic powers of the B1G. They're still dominated by their university, and athletics is a secondary concern. If Purdue decided tomorrow to stop sponsoring football, they'd still be a large land-grant research institution that put people on the moon. 
The way Louisville athletics was built is largely seen as overshadowing the university itself, though. You lose the athletics, and everyone will forget that UofL exists. So it's a weird case where the tail is wagging the dog, but now the tail is out of money. Apparently donors are leaving in droves, on top of Papa John who is facing his own issues right now and had his name taken off the stadium.
Not sure how this will play out for them. And if the athletics department craters, I'm not sure a lot of people on the academic side of the university will be sad to see it go. 

[847badgerfan]

"I'm not sure a lot of people on the academic side of the university will be sad to see it go."



Didn't know they had an academic side. Ya learn something new every day!

[Cincydawg]

Aren't the monies from salaries from the athletic department and not the university?