Kansas settles David Beaty lawsuit for $2.55 million when they could’ve just paid his $3 million buyout two years ago

Our long national nightmare when it comes to a former Kansas football coach is over. Or something like that.

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.

Friday, the university announced that it has reached a settlement with Beaty. For $2.55 million. Which means, 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.

Kudos, KU. Below is the university’s attempt at a face-saving statement:

Today, Kansas athletics entered into a $2.55 million financial settlement with former head football coach David Beaty, ending all litigation and disputes. Despite the settlement, the University maintains that the facts and principles behind its position remain intact. For the betterment of KU, and driven by a willingness to move forward during a time of uncertainty in college athletics, the University has now put this matter behind us. All funds to be paid as part of the settlement will come from the original amount placed in escrow during the 2018-2019 fiscal year following Beaty’s separation from KU.

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.