I’m not very good at math, and apparently neither is the Kansas football program. Or PR, for that matter.
In early November of 2018, Kansas announced that David Beaty would be fired as head football coach upon the conclusion of that regular season. At the time, athletic director Jeff Long stated that the university would honor the terms of Beaty’s contract, which included a $3 million buyout payable over a six-month period. That never actually happened. And led to a contentious lawsuit. One that involved the school needing to euphemistically find “a dead hooker” in Beaty’s past. Because of minor NCAA violations.
Earlier this month, the university announced that it has reached a settlement with Beaty. For $2.55 million. We wrote at the time that it meant that, “after nearly two years worth of lawyers fees and such are factored in, the university likely ended up… costing itself money they could’ve saved if they had just paid Beaty the money he was contractually owed in the first place.”
So, if my math is correct, the university saved $450,00 by forcing Beaty to get litigious. And how much have they doled out in outside legal services? According to invoices obtained by the Kansas City Star, that number would be $473,730.04. The Star added the proviso “so far.” Which, of course, means that figure could be higher when it’s all said and done.
In a statement a week ago announcing the agreement, KU wrote that, “despite the settlement, the University maintains that the facts and principles behind its position remain intact.” So they have that going for them. Which is nice.
In four seasons as the Jayhawks head coach, Beaty went 6-42 overall and 2-34 in Big 12 play. In mid-November of 2018, Kansas confirmed that former LSU head coach Les Miles would be taking over for Beaty.
