Fired football coach once again turns down multimillion-dollar buyout money
Gary Andersen has had one of the most unusual careers of any recent college football coach. After turning Utah State around to an 11-2 record in 2012, he took over at Wisconsin.
Then he left … for Oregon State. That was an interesting move, to say the least. Then, when he left Oregon State 3 years later, he refused to take his buyout money.
That’s another interesting move, especially in an era in which former Texas coach Tom Herman, ex-Auburn coach Gus Malzahn and former South Carolina coach Will Muschamp are all getting massive buyouts.
But, per the Deseret News, Andersen once again turned down massive buyout money after being fired by Utah State during his second stint with the program in 2020:
He has refused to be paid the balance of his contract.
He told the school that wasn’t his style; don’t bother paying him what he is owed. He had three years left on his contract when he was fired in November 2020, at $900,000 per year.
TWO POINT SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS.
He’s walking away from it.
This came via two sources; Andersen did not want to comment on the matter publicly.
Andersen (presumably) finishes his career with a 63-70 overall record — not bad for a guy who coached at Utah State, Oregon State and 2 years at Wisconsin.
He’s got character. I like this guy. I didn’t do good enough, you don’t want me, I’m gone, that’s fine, no hard feelings.
and thats the way it should be. you get fired you dont get paid. Thats how it works in the real world.
In a real world without unions and worker protections you mean. Just remember, the 40 hour work week and 8 hour work day, among other things, exist because unions fought for them and some died. If your masters had their way 112 hour / week, 16 hour days would be the norm.
What a knucklehead response to a football coach that showed old fashioned character.
Whatever you’ve been smoking, MW, you’ve had too much. Have a Snickers, and a nap.
Dead on MW. Dead on.
Well said. It’s a bit of history to remind people that change is always needed for workers.
It’s strictly about your work. Not some toxic manager or peer. If someone doesn’t like — who cares as long as your job is well done.
I like the sentiment but this is borderline lunacy. If you don’t think you deserve the money donate it! Don’t just leave it on the table. It kind of reminds me of how Donald Trump explained how he didn’t pay taxes. If that’s the rules of the game don’t blame him for capitalizing on it.
Leaving it with the school is effectively donating it to the school.
I can’t decide if this is a crazy nice gesture or if it’s just crazy. Probably the latter.
I’m going to go with misplaced sense of dignity. I applaud him for sticking to his sense of morals, but these buyout clauses are put in there for a reason; you are committing to a job, uprooting your family and life to give it your all, so you’re guaranteed a minimum amount for that. It’s not a handout or charity.
100% agree.
Also agreed.
Also, as noted by Picard once,
“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.”
Termination without severance pay is only justified if mistakes were made. Football coaches, dependent as they are on the talent and work of youths, can do everything right on their part and still have a losing season.
RESPECT
That’s fine if he wants to work that way. He needs to take that into consideration up front though. Higher pay with no buyout in the contract.
I guess it may have something to do with how much he already has, his family situation and such. I guess you could look at it as a donation to his former school. I dont know but I know this from some of the comments, what’s crazy is some folks complaining or calling him crazy. Maybe we arent use to seeing character and integrity anymore and in that frame we cant figure him out.
^^This^^
Some people are just content with what they have which is understandably baffling to a 21st Century materialistic capitalist litigious society. Not so much a judgement as an observation…
Maybe he simply thinks he didn’t really do his Best job and left a lot of “meat on the bone” and thus deserved to be let go? That’s the only thing that makes sense to me.
Forget the “integrity” piece. The school didn’t show any integrity when they fired him without cause before his contract was up. At some point you have to do what’s best for your profession. Early termination clauses are there to protect coaches. He should take the payments, if only to donate to charity.
Go on, take the money and run….
you talking about Scam Newton?
No, Steve Miller.
Billy Joe and Bobby Sue
This gentleman needs to be introduced to 2021.
2021 Needs to be introduced to this gentleman.
That’s who Kansas needs to hire, they’re still paying Beaty and Weis and possibly even Gill, and of course now Miles.