Big mistake? Arizona coach Sean Miller's contract has weird quirk if he's fired 'for cause'
One of the biggest revelations from Friday’s Yahoo! report into the FBI’s investigation of college basketball was that Arizona coach Sean Miller had a conversation about paying star freshman DeAndre Ayton $100,000 to join the Wildcats.
That’s a serious allegation, and if it proves to be true, Miller could certainly lose his job.
Interestingly, though, Arizona may be better off firing him before that allegation is proven, as his contract actually pays him more if he’s fired with cause than if he’s fired for no reason, per ESPN’s Darren Rovell:
JUST IN: Sean Miller’s contract, as written, somehow pays him more for getting fired with cause than without cause. So if Miller is fired with cause, Arizona will owe him approximately $5 million more ($10.3 million versus $5.15 million) than if they fired for no reason.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 24, 2018
Arizona is currently the No. 14 team in the country with a record of 21-6. Many have them picked to go to the Final Four, but Miller and Ayton’s futures will cast that in doubt.
What happens next remains to be seen, but the Wildcats have a huge, program-altering decision to make before tonight’s game against Oregon.
