RoyalShock wrote:I know contractual issues are tricky. But I wonder how feasible it would be to incorporate a structured buyout into coach's contracts. Something with threshholds that change the amount based on the past 2-3 seasons of performance. For example:
If, in the past two seasons:
- Team finishes 1st-3rd at least once buyout is 100% of annual salary times years remaining.
- Team finishes 4th-6th or worse in conference in both years, buyout is 75% of annual salary times years remaining.
- Team finishes 7th or worse in conference in both years, buyout is 50% of annual salary times years remaining.
- Team finishes in last one time and over half the players you recruited are gone before their seniors seasons you resign in shame and pay back the last two years of salary.
Would coaches agree to something like that? (Ok, except that last one).
When it comes to contracts, essentially anything is possible. The problem is that both parties have to be in agreement.
In the Lowery-SIU case, at the time that contract was entered into, Lowery was was coming off of several conference titles and a Sweet Sixteen. He was receiving some buzz about being an up and coming coach. At the same time, SIU had lost two previous successful coaches and was hearing from boosters/alumni about potentially losing a third. As a result, Lowery had substantially more leverage in the negotiations and presumably would have rejected the language you propose, as would probably almost any successful coach.
If you are a successful coach and you know a school desperately wants to keep/hire you, you get to make the demands.
If you are a brand new coach desperate for your first D1 head coaching job, or a coach coming off of an unsuccessful tenure or scandal at your previous employer, you may accept the terms you outlined just to get a job again.
It is called leverage. In this particular case, Lowery had it and used it. SIU either had to accept the terms or risk losing him. Hindsight shows that SIU got the raw end of the deal, but at the time the increased compensation seemed to be reasonable when compared to that paid to Lowery's peers.