My first thought upon reading the news about Mark Richt’s new deal was it took you people six months to come up with that? There’s nothing groundbreaking and evidently salary wasn’t an issue. The press has jumped all over the fact that Richt no longer has a buyout penalty to pay if he chooses to leave Athens before the contract expires, but McGarity was quick to point out it isn’t a provision of much significance.
“I think people are gonna twist it and say whatever they want to about it. But I’m just telling you the truth. I’m telling you how it is between Mark and myself,” McGarity sad. “There’s no monkey business here.”
Besides…
“I think it’s Greg’s philosophy on the contract,” Richt said. “It’s not something that I was asking for. It was something that he suggested and I said that would be fine. I think the bottom line for me, gosh, I think I’ve been here long enough for everybody to understand … that Georgia’s my home. Georgia’s where I want to be. Georgia’s the only job I want.”
The man’s only been saying that since the ink was drying on the contract he signed with Dooley. Isn’t it about time we all took him at his word on it? Time to move on, folks.
No, the more interesting development was the surprise announcement by the High Chancellor that McGarity was also getting a contract extension (and a raise).
“He’s had two years here now,”He’s had two years here now,” UGA president Michael Adams said. “He’s shown extraordinary leadership. He’s widely respected already among the other A.D.s in the conference…”
Wow. “Extraordinary”. Who’s the man responsible for bringing this paragon of excellence to the University of Georgia? Not Vince Dooley, that’s for sure.
This being Michael Adams, a little horn tooting on a pleasant occasion isn’t enough. There has to be some subtle muscle flexing tossed in the mix. So if I’m Mark Richt, I’m wondering what I should read from this particular tea leaf:
“I just felt it was important for the benefit of the athletic association and the university that we get him locked in at a time that was slightly longer than the head football coach. And that would well position the university for any changes that might happen in the future.”
Adams departs in 2013, so the impact of this, whatever that might be, is likely to occur long after he’s gone. But it’s curious that management feels the need to position McGarity in this way with Richt. And you wonder if this is simply a parting gift that Adams has bestowed on his AD, or if McGarity asked for it. Either way, it suggests that the school wants an edge with its head football coach.
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UPDATE: Chris Low’s take on Richt’s new deal is worth a look.
McGarity said he didn’t see “anything negative here at all” regarding Richt’s new contract, which now runs through 2016.
I wouldn’t call it negative, either. To me, it’s more reality.
And that reality is that McGarity and the Georgia administration simply aren’t ready to throw a lot of guaranteed money at Richt right now because they don’t want to be stuck with a pricey buyout if they decide two years from now that Richt isn’t the answer long term.
Reasonable minds can differ on whether that’s a good approach or a bad one, but I think Low is on target there.
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