CTT and $15M Deal

[DKW 86 7,431]

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$15 million man

New Auburn AD has Tuberville secured with seven-year agreement

Friday, December 24, 2004

By PHILLIP MARSHALL

Times Sports Staff pmarsh9485@msn.com

AUBURN - When Jay Jacobs takes the reins of Auburn's athletic department early next month, he won't have to worry about the future of coach Tommy Tuberville.

According to university sources, Tuberville and interim president Ed Richardson have reached agreement in principle on a seven-year contract worth more than $15 million. Once agreement is reached on final language Tuberville is expected to sign a contract that will pay him $2 million in the first year with a salary increase by $150,000 each year. The buyout will be half the remaining total of the contract, meaning it will start at more than $7.5 million. That's the amount the university would have to pay Tuberville should he be fired.

Richardson announced Wednesday that Jacobs, associate athletic director for development, will replace retiring athletic director David Housel on Jan. 4, the day after Auburn's Sugar Bowl game against Virginia Tech. Tuberville said he had reached an agreement with Richardson on a seven-year contract but did not divulge terms.

Tuberville also has reached agreement with Richardson to upgrade pay for assistant coaches and to give at least some of them two-year contracts.

"We've been working on those," Tuberville said. "I wanted those before mine was done. I wanted them to understand they are the most important part of this program. I'm only as successful as they are. They have done a tremendous job and will be rewarded. I hope to have them together for a long time. Continuity is a big part of success."

Tuberville said he wasn't sure how many assistants would get two-year contracts.

"Right now it's just monetary," Tuberville said. "I have a couple of guys on more than one-year contracts right now. We'll just work through that and see what happens."

Jacobs, 44, was chosen after a four-month search. Richardson didn't make the final decision until Tuesday night, agonizing over the alternatives. Richardson met with Jacobs four times. The final meeting was Tuesday afternoon and included Tuberville.

"Those meetings have been about Dr. Richardson making a tough decision and looking for a tiebreaker between the other candidates and me," Jacobs said. "We had some very good conversations. He asked me some very in-depth questions about character, decision-making and leadership skills."

With Jacobs' appointment, Hal Baird will relinquish day-to-day control of the athletic department and said he plans to retire by the end of March. Baird, the athletics assistant to the president, assumed control of the department in March when Housel announced he would step down after the final football game.

Baird, who retired as Auburn's baseball coach after the 2001 season, said Jacobs is the right man at the right time. Since last March, Baird has led searches that resulted in the hiring of men's basketball coach Jeff Lebo, women's basketball coach Nell Fortner, baseball coach Tom Slater and Jacobs.

"I've had the good fortune of knowing Jay Jacobs for over 20 years," Baird said. "Jay was educated at Auburn, trained at Auburn and, as such, has valuable insight into the challenges the job presents. He has convinced me that he sees a great opportunity.

"I know with 100 percent certainty that Auburn University will get his best effort from dawn to dusk every day. I have absolutely no reservations about that."

[Boss 0]

If you add the numbers, CTT would get at total of $17.15 million over the life of the contract. I think this total is about the same as Saban's, although Saban started higher ($2.3 mil) but his annual increases are smaller ($100K compared to CTT's 150K). Anyway, he's worth every penny!!!

But here is the big question....is the buyout two-way? If we have to pay him $7.5 mil +/-, doesn't he have to pay us the same to take another job? This is the way his current contract works. Does anybody know about this?

Merry Christmas to all.......

[Tigermike 3,039]

With a contract like that, all I can say is IF/WHEN Auburn looses a game or two next year, there is no reason to start the fire CTT threads, cause it ain't going to happen.