Saban's Coaching Internship Program - Article

#2
#2
Said it a bunch before and I'll say it again:

I totally understand the money these coaches are making. What's hard to wrap my head around are the buyouts. Clearly, since seemingly every coach has one, the market environment is such that coaches simply have this leverage over the schools. I get that it is lucrative to have a good football program, but it is so lucrative that you should be willing to give that much guaranteed money?

For instance - take Taggart's situation. He had a 6-year, $30m deal with FSU. He worked for them for 1.5 years, then was fired. He earned about $7.5m for that work. The buyout totaled just north of $18m.

So basically here's the deal he was offered when FSU signed him - you can work for 6 years and make $30m, or you can work for 1.5 years and make about $25.5m (the $7.5m he earned while employed + the buyout). You can work 100% of the contract length for 100% of the contract amount, or work 25% of the contract length for 85% of the contract amount. That is absolutely insane.

What's the incentive for these guys to show up every day, nose to the grindstone, if their ultimate pay isn't really going to be affected if they're fired? I understand that sports is probably the most performance-driven business and these guys want some measure of a cushion if/when they're fired, but these buyouts are absolutely ridiculous.
 
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#4
#4
Volsfaninva917 said:
I really hope Tennessee finishes paying Jones off and then takes him to court for breach of contract
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If you're gonna sue for breach of contract, you probably ought to do it before the contract runs its course. The statute of limitations begins ticking when the suing party becomes aware of the breach.
 
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#5
#5
I find it more interesting in the article that Major Applewhite is an analyst. He has always been a good OC. Surprised he has not been picked up by anyone.
 
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#6
#6
“Jones, 51, instead is apparently meeting his contractual duty to Tennessee by getting a job as an analyst at Alabama for $35,000, leaving Tennessee on the hook.”

Or Tennessee is choosing not to pursue it. Phil is probably getting a nice Christmas gift from Jimmy Sexton this year.

Is there not some kind of legal/audit team at the university who should pursue this?
 
#8
#8
golfballs said:
Is there not some kind of legal/audit team at the university who should pursue this?
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UT probably just doesn't want to get sued by Butch if they stopped paying him, which he would almost certainly do. It's either pay Butch his buyout or don't pay his buyout and have it tied up in court for a long time and incur all those expenses. And if you lose the lawsuit, you end up having to pay him anyway.

Arkansas stopped paying Bielema when he took that "consultant" job with New England, and he sued them.

Breached Bielema buyout agreement could be costly
 
#9
#9
Unlike them, these lower-paid analysts are not allowed to coach or recruit. They instead help analyze film and are valued for their expertise by the schools that can afford them.
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I don't understand this. How is Lyle allowed to be on the sidelines during games? If he isn't coaching, what is he doing and why is he needed on the sideline?
 
#10
#10
rjd970 said:
I don't understand this. How is Lyle allowed to be on the sidelines during games? If he isn't coaching, what is he doing and why is he needed on the sideline?
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There are all kinds of people on every college football sideline, and in every coaches' booth, that aren't coaches. You can fairly easily identify the coaches as the guys wearing headsets.
 
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#11
#11
golfballs said:
“Jones, 51, instead is apparently meeting his contractual duty to Tennessee by getting a job as an analyst at Alabama for $35,000, leaving Tennessee on the hook.”

Or Tennessee is choosing not to pursue it. Phil is probably getting a nice Christmas gift from Jimmy Sexton this year.

Is there not some kind of legal/audit team at the university who should pursue this?
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It’s a public institution. Whose to say we couldn’t file suit against him?
Any attorney’s here?

At worst, Jones should have an assistant job or a HC job at a lesser program. Doing a token interview doesn’t seem to fulfill his obligation to mitigate the buyout.
 
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#12
#12
Roustabout said:
It’s a public institution. Whose to say we couldn’t file suit against him?
Any attorney’s here?

At worst, Jones should have an assistant job or a HC job at a lesser program. Doing a token interview doesn’t seem to fulfill his obligation to mitigate the buyout.
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I'm pretty sure it does. Coaches do the kind of thing Butch is doing all the time and are very rarely sued over it. Bielema's case is an exception.
 
#13
#13
05_never_again said:
I'm pretty sure it does. Coaches do the kind of thing Butch is doing all the time and are very rarely sued over it. Bielema's case is an exception.
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I get the frustration at Jones. But I don’t think people are taking into account how if we went after him that may have an adverse impact on our next coaching search.
 
#15
#15
BeardedVol said:
Not according to the 'liquidated damages' clause of his contract it doesn't.
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We've been 15 rounds on that one.

You read "reasonable best efforts to mitigate the University's obligation to pay liquidated damages...by making reasonable and diligent efforts...to obtain another position" (italics mine) as being contractually forced to accept another job. I don't. He appears to be doing the contractual bare minimum to keep his buyout. He has to make reasonable efforts to get a job, not actually accept one.
 
#16
#16
05_never_again said:
We've been 15 rounds on that one.

You read "reasonable best efforts to mitigate the University's obligation to pay liquidated damages...by making reasonable and diligent efforts...to obtain another position" (italics mine) as being contractually forced to accept another job. I don't. He appears to be doing the contractual bare minimum to keep his buyout. He has to make reasonable efforts to get a job, not actually accept one.
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The language in his contract is specific, to the positions that satisfy the terms of the contract. Choosing to stay as an "analyst" at Alabama, is in breach of those conditions given that Saban himself has gone on record saying that Butch turned down coaching opportunities in order to stay as an "analyst" at Alabama.

It's pretty cut and dry.
 
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#17
#17
BeardedVol said:
The language in his contract is specific, to the positions that satisfy the terms of the contract. Choosing to stay as an "analyst" at Alabama, is in breach of those conditions given that Saban himself has gone on record saying that Butch turned down coaching opportunities in order to stay as an "analyst" at Alabama.

It's pretty cut and dry.
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I don’t think a judge or jury in this country would say he has to accept the offer.
 
#18
#18
volfanhill said:
I don’t think a judge or jury in this country would say he has to accept the offer.
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He doesn't have to do anything that he doesn't want to do, but in turning down a coaching position, he is removing UT's contractual obligation to continue paying him liquidated damages. He can stay at Alabama for $35k/year for as long as Saban will keep him.
 
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#19
#19
BeardedVol said:
He doesn't have to do anything that he doesn't want to do, but in turning down a coaching position, he is removing UT's obligation to continue paying him liquidated damages. He can stay at Alabama for $35k/year for as long as Saban will keep him.
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Not the way that works. Alabama State offers him a job doesn’t mean he has to accept. And by not accepting it would not relieve UT of the agreement.
 
#20
#20
volfanhill said:
Not the way that works. Alabama State offers him a job doesn’t mean he has to accept. And by not accepting it would not relieve UT of the agreement.
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I see you've not read Butch's contract. Section 3.1.4 lays out what is considered an acceptable position for fulfilling his requirement to mitigate the Universities's requirement to pay liquidated damages in the event of termination "without cause":

Butch-Tard.png
 
#21
#21
BeardedVol said:
I see you've not read Butch's contract. Section 3.1.4 lays out what is considered an acceptable position for fulfilling his requirement to mitigate the Universities's requirement to pay liquidated damages in the event of termination "without cause":

Butch-Tard.png
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I stand corrected. Thank you. Which jobs has he turned down?
 
#23
#23
BeardedVol said:
The language in his contract is specific, to the positions that satisfy the terms of the contract. Choosing to stay as an "analyst" at Alabama, is in breach of those conditions given that Saban himself has gone on record saying that Butch turned down coaching opportunities in order to stay as an "analyst" at Alabama.

It's pretty cut and dry.
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Failing to make a reasonable effort to obtain said employment, not failing to obtain said employment, would technically put him in breach of it. Which is probably why Tennessee hasn't sued him.

Based on the jobs he's interviewed for, he can argue until the cows come home he made an effort to mitigate the buyout. It doesn't say he actually has to accept.
 
#24
#24
05_never_again said:
Failing to make a reasonable effort to obtain said employment, not failing to obtain said employment, would technically put him in breach of it. Which is probably why Tennessee hasn't sued him.

Based on the jobs he's interviewed for, he can argue until the cows come home he made an effort to mitigate the buyout. It doesn't say he actually has to accept.
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You are leaving out the terms "comparable employment or paid position" which is spelled out in his contract.

Choosing to stay an analyst at Alabama is well within his rights, but is not making a 'reasonable effort' to obtain comparable employment.
 
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