Universities Fed up with Swing Dance by Top Coaches

We've seen it in College Football as much as any sport. Coaches with high aspirations jumping from one springboard to the next. Far more often than in other businesses, college coaches are not honoring the full length of their contracts. We saw it very publicly in 2007 with Rich Rodriguez. Right after signing a renegotiated contract to continue leading the West Virginia Mountaineers, Rodriguez bolted for Michigan -- "the better opportunity." His West Virginia players and newly signed recruits were thrilled. And so was West Virginia President Mike Garrison when Rodriguez refused to pay his $4M buyout clause (A legal saga ensued as West Virginia sued Rodriguez; he finally agreed to pay seven months later).

In early January, Jeff Jagodzinski -- head coach of Boston College at the time -- was issued an ultimatum by Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo. Jagodzinski was drawing interest from NFL teams, and the New York Jets in particular wanted an interview. DeFilippo warned that if Jagodzinski agreed to an interview with another team, he would be fired. Well, Jagodzinski didn't seem to mind -- he interviewed with the Jets and was fired with three years remaining on his contract.

On one hand, it's easy to sympathize with Jagodzinski. Who is DeFilippo to keep him from advancing his career? After all, Jagodzinski led the Eagles to two successful seasons, and what coach wouldn't take the opportunity to interview for an NFL head coaching job? On the other hand, college football teams are not billion dollar corporations and private enterprises. They are extensions of the university with college students as their "employees" ('pay for play' has been a hot debate for years -- interesting article by Rod Gillmore of ESPN). In other words, coaches are bailing on college students who likely chose the school in large part to the coach.

Most recently, the contract negotiations between Mike Leach and Texas Tech have gotten very interesting. The Texas Tech board of regents is getting antsy as Leach missed another deadline Tuesday to sign a new contract. The two sides have essentially agreed to a new five-year deal that would average $2.54M annually. So what's the hold up, you ask? Leach refuses to accept the clause that would trigger his firing and a $1.5M penalty if he interviews for another job without Athletic Director Gerald Myers' permission. A few hours before Tuesday's contract deadline, which Myers has said will be the "last and final offer," Leach was quoted as saying, "I don't need hall passes on this one."

It will be interesting to see how the Leach situation plays out in the coming days or weeks. There is also the likelihood of other programs following suit with similar contract clauses preventing coaches from interviewing for other jobs while still under contract. Clearly universities are fed up with the carousel that has become of top college coaches. Stay Tuned.