That’s our old buddy, Damon Evans, defending Maryland’s obligation to pay Randy Edsall a $2.6 million buyout after the school fired him.
It’s not like Maryland’s anything special in that department.
… Severance pay is the top-rising expense for athletic departments at some of America’s largest public universities, according to a Washington Post review of thousands of pages of financial records from schools in the five wealthiest conferences in college sports.
In a decade, the total annual amount spent on severance by athletic departments at 48 public universities in the “Power Five” conferences increased from $12.9 million combined in 2004, adjusted for inflation, to $28.5 million in 2014. That 120 percent jump outpaced rises on larger athletic budget items such as facilities spending (89 percent), coaches pay (85 percent) and administrative-staff pay (69 percent).
Jesus. If you’d like to see a more graphic picture of the worst offenders, here you go.
Costly exerciseFor athletic departments in the wealthy Power Five conferences that still finish the year with deficits, severance is often a factor. These 10 schools paid the most to former employees in 2014.
SCHOOL SEVERANCE 2014 PROFIT/DEFICIT Auburn $4,846,662 -$17,139,398 Oregon State $4,143,888 -$16,015,415 Minnesota $3,306,483 -$1,542,547 Illinois $3,203,870 -$6,191,154 California $2,403,280 -$4,828,054 Wash. State $1,840,033 -$18,296,057 Kentucky $1,436,204 $1,211,510 Indiana $1,301,146 $4,282,047 Florida $1,293,655 $10,612,847 Penn State $1,265,927 $150,351
War damn eagle!
Remind me again why these guys think they’re smart.