Some questions linger, no matter how many times they have been answered, so might as well tackle these three one last (please) time:
1. How much is Kansas still paying its former football coaches, Mark Mangino and Turner Gill?
The answer is the same as it was 90 days after Gill was terminated, two years into a five-year, $10 million contract. Not a penny.
Mangino negotiated a $3 million buyout, paid in one check before New Years’ Day, 2010. Gill’s contract stipulated that he be paid in full within 90 days of his termination. So KU hasn’t paid an ex-football coach since February of 2012.
Unlike in the case of Gill, if Charlie Weis is fired before his five-year, $12.5 million contract expires, KU does not have to pay him a lump sum and can stay on its current payment schedule, which runs through 2016.
2. When will the stadium renovation take place?
Not any time soon. Boosters who have helped to pay off coaches don’t have an appetite for writing facilities checks for a football program that flat-lined the day of Mangino’s departure.
The main reason for renovating is to turn the stadium into more of a cash cow with more executive suites, etc., although sinking the field and bringing the seats closer would help an already pleasant fan experience.
Renovations won’t make the team better, and only a better team can bring about renovations. Donors need solid proof.
3. How is it that former standout college quarterbacks Turner Gill and Chuck Long and ex-NFL offensive guru Charlie Weis could not receive a commitment from a player who has developed into a productive college quarterback?
Great question, although it technically is not accurate. Gill’s staff received a commitment from Seth Russell of Garland, Texas. He switched to Baylor after Gill’s firing. Filling in for injured Bryce Petty against Northwestern State, Russell passed for 438 yards and five touchdowns in one half to earn Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.