Kansas runs risk of blowing big money if it stays inside world of college athletics for next AD

By Staff     Jul 3, 2018

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In this Nov. 18, 2017, file photo, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema talks with the officials during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi State in Fayetteville, Ark. The Razorbacks are dealing with their own dose of turmoil at the moment. Last week’s 28-21 loss to No. 16 Mississippi State guaranteed Arkansas’ third losing season in the last six years, and it came days after the school fired former athletic director Jeff Long. There’s likely more uncertainty ahead in the days following Friday’s game against Missouri for Arkansas--in particular for fifth-year coach Bielema. (AP Photo/Michael Woods, File)

The money frittered away by college athletic departments always has blown me away. So often athletic directors grant coaches contract extensions with no urgency to do so, no suitors trying to steal the coach, and in some cases the extensions come with monster buyouts.

Kansas football coach David Beaty had a 2-22 record when he was granted an extension that came with a doubling of his salary. Good thing he wasn’t 4-20 or KU might have had to sell naming rights for Allen Fieldhouse to pay for his salary.

I never have been able to confirm the theory that Beaty leveraged a supposed offer to become Tom Herman’s offensive coordinator at Texas to get the raise. If that’s the case, that makes it even worse. A 2-22 coach has no leverage. The $3 million buyout seemed excessive, too, even though Turner Gill was paid $6 million for games he never coached, Charlie Weis $6.67 million.

But there have been far worse buyouts written into contract extensions by athletic directors for coaches with losing records.

Where was the urgency for Arkansas AD Jeff Long to extend Bret Bielema when he had a 10-15 record two years into his tenure at Arkansas? Long was fired and then Bielema was shown the door with a 29-34 overall record and 11-29 mark in SEC play. Shed no tears for Bielema. His parachute, courtesy of Long, was $11.9 million.

Oh well, you say, that’s the cost of doing business in big-time college athletics. OK, then that’s what makes me think going outside the world of college athletics for its next AD just might be the way to go for Kansas. Or at the very least, hiring someone who has a clean record for not blowing other people’s money and not making football hires that blow up.

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