A snipit from the article. We aren't the only people questioning the decisions on buyouts and other issues in the program.
‘Not a great head football coach’
Lawmakers also latched onto the high-priced buyouts for former coaches Muschamp and Martin.After his firing in 2019, football coach Muschamp reached a deal with the university to be paid $12.9 million in one lump sum. Martin, who was recently let go as the men’s basketball coach after 10 years, will get $3 million.
In Muschamp’s case, Harpootlian argued the university should never have brokered that deal, struck amid the COVID-19 pandemic when college sports shut down and the athletics department was losing millions of dollars and did not have the cash on hand to pay Muschamp’s buyout.
The university loaned the athletics department roughly $10 million to cover his payment — a large lump sum that board member Williams, who opposes big buyouts, alleged the board wasn’t aware of until later on and asked for more oversight.
“You do have oversight, because you hire a president do you not?” Speaker Lucas asked Williams. “And the president hires the athletic director, is that correct? And if we make poor decisions in hiring the president then we lose our ability to have oversight on athletics, wouldn’t you agree with that?”
Asked his take, Smith told lawmakers, “the short answer is, I don’t like credit obviously,” when asked whether athletics director Ray Tanner should have fired Muschamp. “I think Coach Muschamp is a fine person. I think he was not a great head football coach.”
Martin’s $3 million buyout and how it’s paid will be negotiated in the coming weeks, though Tanner indicated that the former coach will receive the full amount. Had the university waited one more season — after April 1, 2023 — the athletics director could have fired Martin without any buyout obligation.
State Rep. John King, a York Democrat who sits on the screening panel, questioned whether Tanner was forced to fire Martin, citing calls he’s received that a board member called and forced the firing of Martin. He did not name the board member.
“He just told me he was under extreme pressure, and that’s all I know,” said Williams, who also offered up a private conversation he had with Pastides about Martin. Williams said he asked Pastides whether he OK’d Martin’s firing, to which he said Pastides replied, “I told him I’m out of here in May, I don’t have to live with it but I thought the best thing is to let him stay another year and save $3 million.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 10:38 AM.