A report from ESPN’s Matt Fortuna tells an interesting story about Charlie Weis, longtime NFL offensive coordinator and former head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Kansas Jayhawks.
Though Weis has not been the head coach of Notre Dame since 2009, he is still receiving checks from the school, and quite big ones at that. So far, he has been paid over $14 million NOT to coach them. That includes $6 million paid to him upon his firing and several payments of slightly over $2 million.
Fortuna’s report states that Weis will also receive “additional annual payments” from Notre Dame through this coming December, so the total amount he’ll receive from what’s being called “buyout money” is north of $18 million.
Oh, and let’s not forget the $5.63 million that was still on his contract when he was fired from Kansas this past season.
I’m sorry, but this is just plain ridiculous. Yes, I understand that buyouts happen and Notre Dame is just paying Weis what he was owed after he signed a 10-year extension in the first year of his contract with the Irish, but he was paid more than current Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly in 2013, Kelly’s fourth with the team. That year, Kelly received a little under $1.2 million while Weis made north of $2 million from Notre Dame, plus what Kansas was paying him.
Then again, if anything, perhaps this will teach university administrators to think a bit more carefully about doling out extensions because of seemingly instant success, as Notre Dame was 5-2 when Weis received his massive extension. He would go on to have a 35-27 record at Notre Dame with a 1-2 Bowl record, and owns an overall head coaching record of 41-49.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
