Everyone is well aware of the fact that college football buyouts are insane. Every year—even ones in which a deadly pandemic has supposedly made it nearly impossible for universities to keep the lights on—we see coaches and ADs get fired, and then learn they will be paid out millions of dollars over the next few years in exchange for doing jack squat. This is dumb, and we all know it.
You can see a number like $7.3 million attached to Kevin Sumlin's buyout and shake your head at it, but sometimes the sheer wastefulness of this practice can be better clarified by seeing the numbers in smaller chunks. Take, for example, the details of how recently fired (so much for that story about him retiring) Tennessee AD Phillip Fulmer will receive his buyout:
The University of Tennessee has released this statement to me regarding the future compensation of AD Phillip Fulmer, when he steps away from position.
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) January 20, 2021
They “anticipate” paying him this through December 31, 2023. pic.twitter.com/wXu8xdMaH6
Ha. Ha ha ha ... hahahahah ... what??
Thirty-seven thousand and five-hundred dollars per damn month! Can you even imagine getting a check for $18,750 every two weeks from now until December 2023 for doing absolutely nothing? And this guy wasn't even a coach. He was just a dopey administrator!
Anyway, all that money will eventually add up to a measly buyout of about $1.3 million dollars. Tom Herman's buyout from Texas is reportedly worth $15 million. Cool!
