- Sep 8, 2014
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This is Gold, Jerry! GOLD!!
If they "challenge" UF, then UF can "challenge" UCF (who's paying Shannon $250K, only to bump him to $1 million when the UF money stops)...among other schools doing the same thing
Should Tennessee challenge Florida's low salaries to ex-coaches?
An expert sports attorney believes Tennessee has grounds to challenge the buyouts it owes to two former assistant coaches who are getting lowball 2018 salaries from Florida.
https://247sports.com/college/flori...-to-ex-coaches-Larry-Scott-Charlton-118100839
Tennessee should challenge Florida over the lowball 2018 salaries to two former Vols assistant coaches now working for the Gators, an expert sports attorney told Blake Toppmeyer of the Knoxville News Sentinel on Wednesday.
Florida released the salary figures for first-year coach Dan Mullen's new coaching staff on Tuesday, which revealed former Tennessee assistants Larry Scott and Charlton Warren will make $200,000 in base salary from this Gators this year.
Both coaches had a year remaining on their contracts with the Vols when they were not retained by new Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt, meaning they would be owed buyout money paid in monthly installments through the end of February 2019, though Tennessee's obligation would be offset by the salaries at their new jobs.
Larry Scott (Photo: Wes Rucker, 247Sports)
Scott made $650,000 as Tennessee's offensive coordinator in 2017, while Warren made $450,000 in his only season with the Vols.
Their lowball salaries from Florida mean Tennessee is on the hook more than half of their 2018 salaries. The Vols owe Scott approximately $450,000 in buyout money. Warren is due roughly $300,000.
The salaries for both coaches more than double in 2019 once they are not due buyout money from Tennessee. Florida will pay tight ends coach Scott $425,000 and cornerbacks coach Warren $400,000 next year. Those figures are closer to market value for those positions and for those coaches.
The Tennessee contracts for both coaches require them to make "reasonable best efforts" to mitigate their buyouts by getting another comparable position "as soon as practicable." Comparable positions include any coaching, administrative or support-staff job at college program, any NFL position (coach, scout, administrator) and television commentator.
Included in the contract is a clause that states coaches "shall not structure the timing of income in order to avoid Coach's obligations or the reduction of liquidated damages owed by the University."
Coaches also are required to provide to Tennessee a copy of an offer letter or employment agreement for their new job within 14 days of obtaining the job and for the first six months at their new job must provide Tennessee "with a written accounting of all gross income received or earned" at the new job.
Have Scott and Warren violated their Tennessee contracts by taking lower-than-expected salaries from Florida?
Yes, according to Martin Greenberg, a sports attorney and professor at Marquette University Law School. Greenberg told Toppmeyer that the Florida contracts for both coaches are "an absolute attempt to income shift or back-end load." He also believes Tennessee "absolutely" should challenge that both coaches violated their contracts.
"It probably is a good strategy for Tennessee to say, 'Hey, this is bad faith,'" Greenberg told Toppmeyer. "It's a contractual breach of your affirmative obligation. We're not paying you."
(Want the latest scoop on Tennessee football and basketball? Make sure you're in the loop — take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Vols newsletter now!)
Such lowball salaries for newly hired assistant coaches getting buyouts from other schools isn't all that uncommon.
Charlton Warren (Photo: Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel)
Derrick Ansley made $200,000 in his lone season coaching Tennessee's cornerbacks in 2012. The following season his salary from Kentucky was just $125,000, but it doubled to $250,000 in 2014. Ansley spent the past two seasons at Alabama and took a job with the NFL's Oakland Raiders in January.
New Alabama quarterbacks coach Dan Enos was making $800,000 at Arkansas with a deal that ran through the end of June 2019, but was let go when the Razorbacks fired Bret Bielema after the 2017 season. Enos will get $200,000 from Alabama in 2018 and $250,000 in 2019. His salary from Alabama jumps to $875,000 in 2020.
Greenberg conceded Tennessee may not be willing to go through the hassle of challenging the buyouts.
"(It's) a judgment call," he said, "and the judgment call involves, how much dirty laundry do we want to hang out in the public?"
If they "challenge" UF, then UF can "challenge" UCF (who's paying Shannon $250K, only to bump him to $1 million when the UF money stops)...among other schools doing the same thing
Should Tennessee challenge Florida's low salaries to ex-coaches?
An expert sports attorney believes Tennessee has grounds to challenge the buyouts it owes to two former assistant coaches who are getting lowball 2018 salaries from Florida.
https://247sports.com/college/flori...-to-ex-coaches-Larry-Scott-Charlton-118100839
Tennessee should challenge Florida over the lowball 2018 salaries to two former Vols assistant coaches now working for the Gators, an expert sports attorney told Blake Toppmeyer of the Knoxville News Sentinel on Wednesday.
Florida released the salary figures for first-year coach Dan Mullen's new coaching staff on Tuesday, which revealed former Tennessee assistants Larry Scott and Charlton Warren will make $200,000 in base salary from this Gators this year.
Both coaches had a year remaining on their contracts with the Vols when they were not retained by new Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt, meaning they would be owed buyout money paid in monthly installments through the end of February 2019, though Tennessee's obligation would be offset by the salaries at their new jobs.
Larry Scott (Photo: Wes Rucker, 247Sports)
Scott made $650,000 as Tennessee's offensive coordinator in 2017, while Warren made $450,000 in his only season with the Vols.
Their lowball salaries from Florida mean Tennessee is on the hook more than half of their 2018 salaries. The Vols owe Scott approximately $450,000 in buyout money. Warren is due roughly $300,000.
The salaries for both coaches more than double in 2019 once they are not due buyout money from Tennessee. Florida will pay tight ends coach Scott $425,000 and cornerbacks coach Warren $400,000 next year. Those figures are closer to market value for those positions and for those coaches.
The Tennessee contracts for both coaches require them to make "reasonable best efforts" to mitigate their buyouts by getting another comparable position "as soon as practicable." Comparable positions include any coaching, administrative or support-staff job at college program, any NFL position (coach, scout, administrator) and television commentator.
Included in the contract is a clause that states coaches "shall not structure the timing of income in order to avoid Coach's obligations or the reduction of liquidated damages owed by the University."
Coaches also are required to provide to Tennessee a copy of an offer letter or employment agreement for their new job within 14 days of obtaining the job and for the first six months at their new job must provide Tennessee "with a written accounting of all gross income received or earned" at the new job.
Have Scott and Warren violated their Tennessee contracts by taking lower-than-expected salaries from Florida?
Yes, according to Martin Greenberg, a sports attorney and professor at Marquette University Law School. Greenberg told Toppmeyer that the Florida contracts for both coaches are "an absolute attempt to income shift or back-end load." He also believes Tennessee "absolutely" should challenge that both coaches violated their contracts.
"It probably is a good strategy for Tennessee to say, 'Hey, this is bad faith,'" Greenberg told Toppmeyer. "It's a contractual breach of your affirmative obligation. We're not paying you."
(Want the latest scoop on Tennessee football and basketball? Make sure you're in the loop — take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Vols newsletter now!)
Such lowball salaries for newly hired assistant coaches getting buyouts from other schools isn't all that uncommon.
Charlton Warren (Photo: Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel)
Derrick Ansley made $200,000 in his lone season coaching Tennessee's cornerbacks in 2012. The following season his salary from Kentucky was just $125,000, but it doubled to $250,000 in 2014. Ansley spent the past two seasons at Alabama and took a job with the NFL's Oakland Raiders in January.
New Alabama quarterbacks coach Dan Enos was making $800,000 at Arkansas with a deal that ran through the end of June 2019, but was let go when the Razorbacks fired Bret Bielema after the 2017 season. Enos will get $200,000 from Alabama in 2018 and $250,000 in 2019. His salary from Alabama jumps to $875,000 in 2020.
Greenberg conceded Tennessee may not be willing to go through the hassle of challenging the buyouts.
"(It's) a judgment call," he said, "and the judgment call involves, how much dirty laundry do we want to hang out in the public?"
