BUYOUTS

[SteveGarvey1]

Let's see, Rutgers' Steve Pikiell has a $14.35 million buyout. Indiana's Archie Miller has a $20.25 million buyout. Mark Turgeon's is $15.8 million one. tOSU's Chris Holtmann's is $21.5 mill.

I realize at this moment, they're all having better seasons than Iowa, but aren't we maybe overreacting a bit here? R-E-L-A-X. It's the way of NCAA college basketball.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Let's see, Rutgers' Steve Pikiell has a $14.35 million buyout. Indiana's Archie Miller has a $20.25 million buyout. Mark Turgeon's is $15.8 million one. tOSU's Chris Holtmann's is $21.5 mill.

I realize at this moment, they're all having better seasons than Iowa, but aren't we maybe overreacting a bit here? R-E-L-A-X. It's the way of NCAA college basketball.

I know. There is so damn much $$$$$ down here in this university, and I'm only able to pull out a measly $72,000 salary a year out of that place. This compared to the money they spend on facilities and these coaches salaries.

 

[InGoodCo]

That was my point yesterday - and it's OUT of control in the B1G because of it's TV contracts. It was bad timing and it certainly looked like the university was trying to conceal the fact now that I've seen all the data. I also think that when he signed the paper, Fran was pretty far away from a buyout situation. I also think if Iowa wants rid of him, they'll happily pay 10 or 9 million to do it. People think I am some giant Gary Barta homer - I'm not. Fire him. I don't care. Fire Fran too, I don't care. Fire Kirk. Just do whatever is best for the Iowa Hawkeye program....but they aren't hurting for cash.

 

[NikeHawk21]

First of all the buyout is a product of how many years remain on their contract in many cases so it’s not surprising that those three new coaches have large buyouts. When they are in year 8 at a school that will be a different story.

Secondly, and MOST importantly. It’s not really about the buyout and the # attached to it. This is about a signed contract extension that was not released to the public. There is no reasonable explanation (in defense of our athletic department anyway) for why they wouldn’t have publicly announced something like this.

 

[Hawk5656]

Let's see, Rutgers' Steve Pikiell has a $14.35 million buyout. Indiana's Archie Miller has a $20.25 million buyout. Mark Turgeon's is $15.8 million one. tOSU's Chris Holtmann's is $21.5 mill.

I realize at this moment, they're all having better seasons than Iowa, but aren't we maybe overreacting a bit here? R-E-L-A-X. It's the way of NCAA college basketball.

You're comparing apples and oranges with those contracts which you are probably already aware of.

 

[InGoodCo]

First of all the buyout is a product of how many years remain on their contract in many cases so it’s not surprising that those three new coaches have large buyouts. When they are in year 8 at a school that will be a different story.

Secondly, and MOST importantly. It’s not really about the buyout and the # attached to it. This is about a signed contract extension that was not released to the public. There is no reasonable explanation (in defense of our athletic department anyway) for why they wouldn’t have publicly announced something like this.

I'm now firmly in this boat.

 

[Hawk5656]

I'm now firmly in this boat.

You sound much smarter today than you did yesterday.

 

[CJHawkeye]

You CAN NOT compare brand new coach contracts to existing coach extensions. Find me a list of coaches who had their buyout doubled after 5+ years on the job and I'll eat crow. But this... this is apples to oranges and you probably know it.

Also I agree the buyout is only part of the story. This was an attempted cover-up. As they say when politicians go down, its not the lie, its the cover-up. Barta, who I already only had a middling opinion of, went from meh to lying piece of crap with this move.

 

[DodgerHawki]

You CAN NOT compare brand new coach contracts to existing coach extensions. Find me a list of coaches who had their buyout doubled after 5+ years on the job and I'll eat crow. But this... this is apples to oranges and you probably know it.

Also I agree the buyout is only part of the story. This was an attempted cover-up. As they say when politicians go down, its not the lie, its the cover-up. Barta, who I already only had a middling opinion of, went from meh to lying piece of crap with this move.

I don't know that it was a cover up per se. They knew this information would come out as all it would take was a FOIA request and they had to turn it over. The logical explanation is that announcing an extension in the middle of a bad season would have the reaction that it's getting from the fan base. Bad decision by Barta and the UI. Would have been much better to just own it from the beginning. Barta could say "I know this season isn't going how we wanted, but we are committed the long-term direction of the program under Fran." It would have been a story for about a day. Now it will linger a lot longer than it should have.

 

[InGoodCo]

You sound much smarter today than you did yesterday.

Hey, you guys post - I give a reaction. I don't pretend to be the smartest guy on here. I don't dig in when I am up against a losing battle. I am not a professional coach. I can be leveled with. I can admit that I am wrong. I'm human. Like I've said before on here, you guys see right through those 2 years of community college I have under my belt.

 

[CJHawkeye]

I don't know that it was a cover up per se. They knew this information would come out as all it would take was a FOIA request and they had to turn it over. The logical explanation is that announcing an extension in the middle of a bad season would have the reaction that it's getting from the fan base. Bad decision by Barta and the UI. Would have been much better to just own it from the beginning. Barta could say "I know this season isn't going how we wanted, but we are committed the long-term direction of the program under Fran." It would have been a story for about a day. Now it will linger a lot longer than it should have.

To me you're still skipping a step. It sounds like Chad got word, asked the University and they denied him. Then they took the maximum amount of time to respond to the FOIA request. As an alum and a fan who has spent thousands per year on Iowa sports, I'm NOT OK with how my school behaved here.

There was an opportunity to do a press release in November like would be NORMAL for a major sports program coaching contract. There was an opportunity to GIVE Chad the contract and say, "yes, we'll send the contract over, would you be willing to sit down with Gary and let him give you a quote explaining why we were waiting." The University declined both of those opportunities to do what is in my opinion clearly the right thing.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

To me you're still skipping a step. It sounds like Chad got word, asked the University and they denied him. Then they took the maximum amount of time to respond to the FOIA request. As an alum and a fan who has spent thousands per year on Iowa sports, I'm NOT OK with how my school behaved here.

There was an opportunity to do a press release in November like would be NORMAL for a major sports program coaching contract. There was an opportunity to GIVE Chad the contract and say, "yes, we'll send the contract over, would you be willing to sit down with Gary and let him give you a quote explaining why we were waiting." The University declined both of those opportunities to do what is in my opinion clearly the right thing.

The right thing is always next to impossible for these schools to do... If it wasn't for the government forcing the public universities to do so they wouldn't be divulging anything. They do all of that only because they are forced to. That's it. I've always found it so dumb that they continue to delay the inevitable. There's no such thing as a better time to release that info than at the time you do it. And if your 'ashamed' of the timing of it then DON'T DO IT. So by doing it this way Barta is acknowledging that he is indeed self aware of how that looks and didn't want it out there yet.

 

[seepig]

Let's see, Rutgers' Steve Pikiell has a $14.35 million buyout. Indiana's Archie Miller has a $20.25 million buyout. Mark Turgeon's is $15.8 million one. tOSU's Chris Holtmann's is $21.5 mill.

I realize at this moment, they're all having better seasons than Iowa, but aren't we maybe overreacting a bit here? R-E-L-A-X. It's the way of NCAA college basketball.

Actually I don't have an issue with the buyout, although this is just another in a LOOOOONG line of questionable decisions by a poor people manager in one Gary Barfda. Here's how insulated Barta is from reality I'm going to extend a coach that is having his worst year in 8 with no improvement potentially in sight. Good job Gary.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

First of all the buyout is a product of how many years remain on their contract in many cases so it’s not surprising that those three new coaches have large buyouts. When they are in year 8 at a school that will be a different story.

Secondly, and MOST importantly. It’s not really about the buyout and the # attached to it. This is about a signed contract extension that was not released to the public. There is no reasonable explanation (in defense of our athletic department anyway) for why they wouldn’t have publicly announced something like this.

Exactly, I could care less about the buyout or $$$$ of the buyout.

Not that it really applies here, I was interested the other day to know what 1 mill dollars today would be equiv to, say in 1985 when being a millionaire was a big thing. I think I read that you need 2.5 mill today to equal 1 mill in 1985. Just found that interesting.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Hey, you guys post - I give a reaction. I don't pretend to be the smartest guy on here. I don't dig in when I am up against a losing battle. I am not a professional coach. I can be leveled with. I can admit that I am wrong. I'm human. Like I've said before on here, you guys see right through those 2 years of community college I have under my belt.

I've always enjoyed your posts, personally. In addition, I think you'd do better than Barta!

 

[PCHawk]

So I'm confused. Is the buyout a huge amount of money or not? If it's a huge amount of money, Barta is an idiot. If it's not, Barta is still an idiot. Just not necessarily becasue of this. The only reason this went down like this is becasue Barta was out of commission due to cancer. If he didn't have to do this procedure, the contract would have been signed over the summer and would have been announced then. They did get secretive becasue of the timing with the bad losses. But who cares? I don't blame them at all for not wanting to announce it. I wouldn't either with that timing. Caring that we were "lied to" sounds petty when we know exactly why it went down like this.

This post has nothing to do with how much the buyout is or whether he should have even been extended or not. It's just addressing the being lied to part.

 

[CJHawkeye]

Caring that we were "lied to" sounds petty when we know exactly why it went down like this.

I couldn't disagree more. How you do things matter. Do you have kids? I do. What would you think if your child hid their bad report card from you hoping for a good day to spring it on you and then you heard from another parent that report cards were sent home and you asked your kid about theirs and they said its in their room, and made you go find it?

Before you tear apart my metaphor saying raising a kid is not the same thing as running an athletic department I would defend by saying the reason you would be upset with your child is that they were attempting to deceive you and that deceit is not a moral characteristic you support.

This athletic department attempted to hide something that is ultimately public record. That is deceit.

 

[GoHawks12345]

My theory... With Fran's kids starting college and picking Iowa, Fran wanted a 5-6 year guarantee that'll he will be the head coach here.

If he leaves and goes somewhere else, he'd get a large buyout that equates to at least 4 years grace period. Similar to the large buyouts other first year coaches are getting.

So if Fran's first priority is to coach his kids and not get fired before they are done, leaving Iowa for a new gig might make more sense.

And if Barta is convinced of the same, he might offer similar first year coach buyout money...

Just a theory.

 

[CJHawkeye]

My theory... With Fran's kids starting college and picking Iowa, Fran wanted a 5-6 year guarantee that'll he will be the head coach here.

If he leaves and goes somewhere else, he'd get a large buyout that equates to at least 4 years grace period. Similar to the large buyouts other first year coaches are getting.

So if Fran's first priority is to coach his kids and not get fired before they are done, leaving Iowa for a new gig might make more sense.

And if Barta is convinced of the same, he might offer similar first year coach buyout money...

Just a theory.

Even if that is logical you don't "get to coach your kids until they graduate" regardless of results which is now basically what we get.

 

[NikeHawk21]

So I'm confused. Is the buyout a huge amount of money or not? If it's a huge amount of money, Barta is an idiot. If it's not, Barta is still an idiot. Just not necessarily becasue of this. The only reason this went down like this is becasue Barta was out of commission due to cancer. If he didn't have to do this procedure, the contract would have been signed over the summer and would have been announced then. They did get secretive becasue of the timing with the bad losses. But who cares? I don't blame them at all for not wanting to announce it. I wouldn't either with that timing. Caring that we were "lied to" sounds petty when we know exactly why it went down like this.

This post has nothing to do with how much the buyout is or whether he should have even been extended or not. It's just addressing the being lied to part.

It’s a two part problem.

Number one it’s probably a bad deal. Why extend a coach who almost made the tournament? Look what can happen in relatively quick fashion in college b-ball. Kind of goes back to what we discussed recently about how are athletic department doesn’t demand success. Built in Extensions for making the tournament? Shouldn’t we be expecting the dance most years?

The second part is not realeasing it to the public. Why? Obviously they hoped Iowa would right the ship this year and they could release it when the team was having success. That was a big miscalculation. Clearly they knew people would be upset with the deal. If your fan base isn’t happy with a deal is it a good deal? They must have known that this would come out due to the FOIA request. Why not get out in front of this thing? The easy answer to that one is that GB inept at his job.

If it doesn’t offend you personally that they didn’t release the information that’s fine, others don’t appreciate that sort of thing. Either way it’s a bad deal (even if the numbers aren’t that astronomical).