Sawvel's Contract

[laxwyo]

BTW, if Sawvel's contract used the "base compensation" language only in its termination provision (similar to some other MWC head coaching agreements), Wyoming would owe Sawvel $700,000 for firing him after this year and not $2.5 million. If some folks can't see the difference there and the impact on the financial stability of the football program, then I don't know what to tell them.

Man, I thought it was terrible just based on the price for a unproven 1st year coach with no leverage other than (stability) but you've opened it up even further. This contract was a disgrace before and now it's just an abomination. Burman basically fucked us in every situation other than if Sawvel pulls it out of his ass and wins 9 or 10 games and then Burman would probably give him 7 years totally guaranteed.

 

[PorkerPoke]

Man, I thought it was terrible just based on the price for a unproven 1st year coach with no leverage other than (stability) but you've opened it up even further. This contract was a disgrace before and now it's just an abomination. Burman basically fucked us in every situation other than if Sawvel pulls it out of his ass and wins 9 or 10 games and then Burman would probably give him 7 years totally guaranteed.

Think about how Burman might handle it in any of these ways:

As a fervent Cowboy fans many of us so desire the program to be successful. Should the Pokes get to at least 7 wins this season it will be treated as though a tremendous milestone has been met and exceeded. The Burman argument will be an extension is necessary to keep continuity because the program is building momentum and the year to year players seeking a petty NIL compensation won’t have any desire to stick around if they know the head coach is gone in 2 years anyway.

If the program flounders and turns in another sub .500 season but this time at 5-7 on a couple of last second losses - missed 50 yard FG attempt blamed on the kicker and a fumble at the goal line trying to reach the ball across on a 4th down try blamed on the RB even though a FG wins the game. The Burman approach will be it’s not on Sawful because he put the team in the position to win but unfortunately the players weren’t focused enough to make the plays and it’s an NIL problem the fan base has no comprehension about.

Or simply another lackluster season where a couple of 3 win teams steamroll us into a 4-8 finish while we look unprepared to play in several games. The Burman approach will be crickets because we are committed to 5 years and the cost to make a change will set the program back for decades and until the state of Wyoming elevates NIL $$$ nothing better will happen.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

I’m obviously not a lawyer (nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night) but could it be argued that running a program into the ground and having a losing record every year is “just cause” and worthy of contract termination?

Unfortunately no haha. The contract basically spells out what is ‘cause’ and it’s basically violation of major NCAA rules or University rules or the commission of a crime.

Sherrone Moore (married with kids) was apparently sleeping with the intern, got her a full time job on staff at Michigan and then went to her house and apparently threatened to kill himself in front of her when word got out. That’s a pretty good example of cause.

 

[cowpokeguy]

Think about how Burman might handle it in any of these ways:

As a fervent Cowboy fans many of us so desire the program to be successful. Should the Pokes get to at least 7 wins this season it will be treated as though a tremendous milestone has been met and exceeded. The Burman argument will be an extension is necessary to keep continuity because the program is building momentum and the year to year players seeking a petty NIL compensation won’t have any desire to stick around if they know the head coach is gone in 2 years anyway.

If the program flounders and turns in another sub .500 season but this time at 5-7 on a couple of last second losses - missed 50 yard FG attempt blamed on the kicker and a fumble at the goal line trying to reach the ball across on a 4th down try blamed on the RB even though a FG wins the game. The Burman approach will be it’s not on Sawful because he put the team in the position to win but unfortunately the players weren’t focused enough to make the plays and it’s an NIL problem the fan base has no comprehension about.

Or simply another lackluster season where a couple of 3 win teams steamroll us into a 4-8 finish while we look unprepared to play in several games. The Burman approach will be crickets because we are committed to 5 years and the cost to make a change will set the program back for decades and until the state of Wyoming elevates NIL $$$ nothing better will happen.

It also drives me insane how Burman is completely gaslighting the fan base on what the expectations were for Sawvel when he was hired. When Bohl left, Burman made it clear that the program was "this close" to a championship and the expectation for Sawvel was to get them there soon. This wasn't some sort of program rebuild. And now, here we are talking about how 6-7 wins three years in and things are going fine for Sawvel.

Here's the quote from Burman when asked about expectations for Sawvel: "Win a championship," he said without hesitation. "Do it with the right kind of people and in the right way, but let's go win a championship."

Source: https://7220sports.com/jay-sawvels-marching-orders-at-wyoming-win-a-championship/

 

[TheRealUW]

It also drives me insane how Burman is completely gaslighting the fan base on what the expectations were for Sawvel when he was hired. When Bohl left, Burman made it clear that the program was "this close" to a championship and the expectation for Sawvel was to get them there soon. This wasn't some sort of program rebuild. And now, here we are talking about how 6-7 wins three years in and things are going fine for Sawvel.

Here's the quote from Burman when asked about expectations for Sawvel: "Win a championship," he said without hesitation. "Do it with the right kind of people and in the right way, but let's go win a championship."

Source: https://7220sports.com/jay-sawvels-marching-orders-at-wyoming-win-a-championship/

Totally agree.

That really was what caused me to lose any faith I had remaining in Burman's ability to lead the revenue sports at UW. His words are completely meaningless. The exact OPPOSITE thing to the stated expectations occurred and there were literally zero repercussions for Sawvel. You can't say one thing to the fanbase and then do the exact opposite. He has lost all credibility in my book.

 

[Bear Claw]

Unfortunately no haha. The contract basically spells out what is ‘cause’ and it’s basically violation of major NCAA rules or University rules or the commission of a crime.

I am not arguing your point because I know you are right but it feels almost criminal based on the amount of money paid and the return on investment. I believe the legal term is “Grand Larceny.”

 

[TheRealUW]

I am not arguing your point because I know you are right but it feels almost criminal based on the amount of money paid and the return on investment. I believe the legal term is “Grand Larceny.”

Sawvel deserves plenty of blame for the results on the field the last two years, but Burman and UW really deserve the blame for the egregious contract they signed Sawvel to.

I have no doubt that Sawvel is doing his best. He deserves every penny due to him in the contract he negotiated with Burman and UW. The guy even voluntarily reduced his salary one year so the football program would have more money to spend on NIL deals (see one of the contract addendums).

Either Burman was lazy and copy and pasted Bohl's contract with just changing the numbers or he willfully signed a five year guaranteed contract with a completely unproven coach. Either way...it's completely unacceptable at this level of sports.