December 9, 2008

Petrino to be coach for life at Arkansas?

New details have emerged about Bobby Petrino's contract at Arkansas that have raised a few eyebrows, to say the least. The information requested by WholeHogSports.com makes clear that Petrino isn't leaving Arkansas for a long, long, long time.

Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino signed a seven-year contract this fall with unusual slidingscale buyout terms that would make it financially prohibitive for either Petrino or Arkansas to part ways any time soon.

For instance, Petrino's buyout should he leave for another job before the end of the year would be $ 8. 75 million. Arkansas would have to pay the same amount if it chose to terminate the agreement without cause before Jan. 1, 2009.

$8.75 million? Are you kidding me? It's not like Petrino has a history of pulling up his tent stakes and... oh, yeah, scratch that.

Petrino's new buyout works on a cumulative, sliding scale, and is reduced by $ 2 million after Dec. 31, 2008, and another $ 2 million after Dec. 31, 2009, meaning it would be $ 4. 75 million after that season.

The increment falls by $ 1. 75 million at the end of 2010, by $ 1. 5 million the following year, by $ 1 million the next year and by $ 500, 000 after the 2013 season. In the seventh and final year of the contract, there is no buyout clause.

For those not paying attention... Petrino is all but assured to be the Razorbacks head coach for years to come. It would cost UA too much to fire him and no one is going to pony up a multi-million check to steal him away.

Comments:

Petrino to be coach for life at Arkansas?
New details have emerged about Bobby Petrino's contract at Arkansas that have raised a few eyebrows, to say the least. The information requested by WholeHogSports.com makes clear that Petrino isn't leaving Arkansas for a long, long, long time.
Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino signed a seven-year contract this fall with unusual slidingscale buyout terms that would make it financially prohibitive for either Petrino or Arkansas to part ways any time soon. For instance, Petrino's buyout should he leave for another job before the end of the year would be $ 8. 75 million. Arkansas would have to pay the same amount if it chose to terminate the agreement without cause before Jan. 1, 2009.
$8.75 million? Are you kidding me? It's not like Petrino has a history of pulling up his tent stakes and... oh, yeah, scratch that.
Petrino's new buyout works on a cumulative, sliding scale, and is reduced by $ 2 million after Dec. 31, 2008, and another $ 2 million after Dec. 31, 2009, meaning it would be $ 4. 75 million after that season. The increment falls by $ 1. 75 million at the end of 2010, by $ 1. 5 million the following year, by $ 1 million the next year and by $ 500, 000 after the 2013 season. In the seventh and final year of the contract, there is no buyout clause.
For those not paying attention... Petrino is all but assured to be the Razorbacks head coach for years to come. It would cost UA too much to fire him and no one is going to pony up a multi-million check to steal him away.