If you believe social media, it’s all over but the post-season buyout for Razorback football coach Bret Bielema. Athletic Director Jeff Long has been noticeably silent about football on Twitter, preferring to tout a winning volleyball team and a coming track meet.
No insight on the coach’s employment security here. But, should Bielema be done after five years, then comes the question of what his contract buyout is really worth. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette recently put his original contract and subsequent amendments to its own lawyers and they concluded the buyout would be a paltry $5 million or so, not the $15 million often quoted, less any money he might earn in a new job. Here’s what the most recent official letter about the contract says, apart from the issue of whether obligations might still apply from the original contract (which you can read here) that alter the amount.
You can read the full agreement here. It includes the news release explaining the 2015 contract extension and the success Bielema was building at Fayetteville.
Be sure that whatever the payout, some lawyers will get a payday. They may be at work now.
But, hey. The Hogs could win their final five games (Coastal Carolina for sure) and go to a bowl game. Right?